Flyers’ Laperriere wins Masterton

Flyers forward Ian Laperriere has won the NHL's Masterton Trophy for his perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey after suffering what is likely a career-ending injury in 2010.

Laperriere topped two other finalists, Calgary's Daymond Langkow and Anaheim's Ray Emery, during the NHL Awards ceremony.

Laperriere, 37, signed with the Flyers before the 2009-10 season. He blocked a shot with his face during last year's playoffs, suffering a concussion and fractured orbital bone. He returned a little more than a month later to finish the Flyers' playoff run that ended two games short of a championship.

He attempted to return for the 2010-11 season in training camp, but could not overcome his concussion-related symptoms and spent the season on the long-term injury list. Nevertheless, he has continued to serve the Flyers in several capacities, particularly as a mentor for young players in the organization.

A $2,500 grant from the Professional Hockey Writers Association will be awarded to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in Laperriere's name.

Emery underwent bone-graft surgery last April. More than a year after a puck hit his spine and fractured a vertebra, Langkow returned to play April 1.

Laperriere becomes the third Flyer to win the Masterton, joining Bobby Clarke (1972) and Tim Kerr (1989). The award is named after the late Bill Masterton, a player with the Minnesota North Stars who exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey and who died Jan. 15, 1968.