“First of all, I would like to apologize to Dan,” said Lapierre, 28. “You never want to see someone feel that way and, as tough as it is to look at for the fans and his teammates, I feel the same way.”
Several Sharks responded angrily after Tuesday's game, referring to the 28-year old Lapierre as an “idiot.” Lapierre understood the reaction.
“It's tough to separate a guy that's yapping from a guy who tries to hurt people,” said Lapierre. “I know I'm the type of guy who talks a lot on the ice, but it's really not my intention to hurt anybody. I never (thought) last night it was going to be a hit to the head or it would be that big a deal … I was just trying to finish my hit,” Lapierre said. “But the game goes fast. It's not an excuse. You have to be responsible for your hits and I was the one doing the bad hit last night.
“I was just trying to finish my hit. But like I said, it's no excuse. It's terrible. It's not fun to look at somebody on the ice and the only thing I want to focus on right now is that hopefully he gets better.”
Lapierre said he was not so much worried about the details of his suspension as he was the welfare of Boyle. He said he tried to call Boyle on his cell phone, but Boyle did not answer the call.
“Obviously, it's a tough day for him and his family and it's tough for him to answer a guy who just hit him,” Lapierre said. “But I'm going to try to call him back later in the year when it's a better point.
“I know what kind of player I am. I talk a lot on the ice and try to play my role. But my family and my friends know I'm not the kind of guy who tries to hurt people. Like I said, I feel terrible for him and his family.”
“I'm not expecting him to be happy with what happened, but hopefully I can get to talk to him before the end of the year.