The first word out of Eric Perrin’s mouth when the questions began was “we.” For anyone familiar with Perrin and his career, the other person in the pronoun is Martin St. Louis.
The Laval, Quebec, natives had played together in Canada since they were 10, and when it was decided that college hockey was going to be their pre-professional path, it was a given that they would be a package deal. Perrin’s father was a stickler for education, and, having seen countrymate Ian Boyce succeed at the NCAA level (with the University of Vermont), Perrin knew college hockey was a viable option to continue his progression. The only issue to be resolved was which college would be so lucky. Perrin admitted that “Maine was really impressive,” but it was Gutterson Fieldhouse that helped to sway him a bit west. “I think that’s what got us, how the crowd was the game we went to watch. We were both in awe,” Perrin recalled. Also wanting to be the difference makers in a program, the two felt Vermont offered a better chance at a unique legacy.
It didn’t take long to start it. Perrin played his first game at age 17. By the time he turned 18 it was already clear that he was going to be a major factor in any of UVM’s success over the next four years. As he would do all four years, he led the team in goals (and is the school’s career record holder with 107). He insists it didn’t come easily, though. “Every year, it seemed to get harder and harder because teams were playing us really hard and really tight,” Perrin said. “They tried their best to kind of contain us, but Marty and I were students of the game. (We were) always trying to stay one step ahead of everyone.”
They usually succeeded. Aside from leading the team in goals, Perrin always was neck-and-neck with his linemate in the team scoring race. As juniors, scarily, fittingly, the two put up the same goals, assists, points and — for a little icing — penalty minutes. As seniors, Perrin would fall just a point shy of St. Louis.
It was exactly what they had hoped for. The two diminutive forwards turned UVM from being overlooked ECAC foes into a perennial power. You could sense the excitement in Perrin’s voice as he listed helping Vermont to a No. 1 ranking as one of the highlights of his collegiate career. Unfortunately, you could also sense the disappointment in not having solidified the legacy just a little more. Despite being, arguably, one of the best college hockey duos of all-time (and probably one of the last ones to score like they did), Perrin and St. Louis never managed to win a Hobey Baker, ECAC title or NCAA championship. “We brought a lot of things,” Perrin started, “but, obviously, in the end that’s your ultimate goal is to win, right? That’s the bummer of it all, I think.”
Nonetheless, the outstanding four years with the Catamounts certainly gave professional teams a reason to give Perrin a shot. He would start (along with Marty) with Cleveland of the now-defunct IHL. For the first time in a long time, they did not go 1-2 in scoring, but 4-5. Finally, the next season, the split really began. Perrin wound up in Kansas City, and admitted he felt he had something to prove. “In a way, that was kind of where I realized, ‘Hey, I gotta do this on my own now.’ ” Finishing third in scoring, he proved he could. However, the realities of the IHL were beginning to eat at Perrin. “I was desperately trying to get into the American Hockey League with any NHL team … there was just no interest.” So, his agent suggested something that — thanks to Brian Rafalski — seemed plausible: take a European detour. The geography minor from UVM was about to get some worldly experience.
The plan was to play three years in Finland before attempting a comeback, and Perrin did just that. In his last season, with Jyväskylä, Perrin led the team in assists and points. He was ready for his comeback attempt.
“The ’03-04 year was probably my most challenging year,” Perrin admitted. It was a strange way to describe a season that ended with a Stanley Cup ring. He started the season in Hershey. Being in the AHL wasn’t a problem in itself. The problem was that Hershey was really Colorado’s farm team. So, Perrin, a Tampa Bay possession, wasn’t of utmost importance. In fact, he was a Game 1 scratch. Yet, with a new mindset after his Finland stint, Perrin just kept working, and he was soon on the top line and an AHL All-Star. This led to a late-season callup with Tampa Bay, which was battling Detroit for the Presidents’ Trophy (falling short by three points).
Perrin would earn 12 appearances in that postseason, picking up his first NHL point (an assist) before joining his longtime friend St. Louis in hoisting the Stanley Cup. The mix of emotions was clear when Perrin relayed the season. “You know it’s weird … you’re just trying to fit in and kind of not mess things up too much,” Perrin noted about joining a team with less than a handful of games left in the season. “You don’t have time to think. You don’t have time to take it all in. Second round, I was playing in Montreal in front of my family, where I grew up, against the team I grew up idolizing. The whole thing felt almost like a dream. It’s obviously different than if you’d been part of the team all year and with the guys through it all.”
The NHL lockout would hurt some of Perrin’s momentum. He would put up another strong season in Hershey, but it hadn’t eased some of Tampa’s larger doubts about him. So, instead of attempting the AHL to NHL jump, again, he played a year in Switzerland. Despite Tampa being a little displeased with that decision, a strong camp in 2006 finally gave Perrin his first legitimate NHL opportunity. He would play the next three years entirely in the NHL, the first with Tampa, then two with Atlanta. Yet, despite decent numbers and more room for the “little guys,” Perrin’s NHL career would end in 2009. He would sample the KHL for a year, but he was disappointed in mostly being underused as a third liner. He still wanted to play, and he knew exactly where he wanted to do it.
“A lot of years the owner kept calling and asking, ‘Are you ready to come back, yet?’ They always showed interest.” Now, Perrin was. He would put up a point per game in his return to Jyväskalä. The next season he put up 59 points in 58 games, leading the team. In the playoffs he scored 14 points in 14 games, which helped power the team to a championship. Unsurprisingly, he considers it his favorite year in Finland. “We won the championship in ’12 here, and that was by far the most memorable hockey season. I scored the championship winning goal in overtime to win it. That was amazing. It wasn’t just about the winning and the goal, it was more like the group of guys we had. That’s something I’ll never forget. I’ve never seen … that kind of team spirit.”
The encores would continue. Though he fell off his point-per-game pace, he would still lead JYP in scoring for each of the next three seasons. In 2013, he would help JYP to the European Trophy, making his Finnish squad the best team in Europe. However, as the natural changes in personnel took place in Jyväskalä, Perrin felt it might be time he embraced some change. He took on the challenge of trying to revitalize the faltering Turku organization.
Just like in Burlington, Perrin proved a catalyst. While he wasn’t able to bring a title to TPS, he brought the team back to relevance. Turku finished seventh, second and second in the standings during his three years. Equally as impressive, at 42 years old, Perrin led TPS in goals last season. In fact, he scored more goals than assists, the first time he had done that since his freshman season in Vermont. He laughed at that realization. “I didn’t know what was going on last year. The puck kept finding me.”
That brought him to this summer, which brought him back to JYP. Perrin wondered, “Wouldn’t it be great if I finish my career here? They thought it would be a great thing, also.” Asked to clarify on that insinuation of impending retirement, Perrin confirmed the intention. “I’ve been saying it, and I’m true to it, I think this is the last year I’ll be playing.” Already the highest-scoring non-Finn to ever play in Liiga, Perrin wants one more season with a body that (knock on wood) has yet to let him down and one more crack at another championship.
After a career that saw him win as many Cups as his UVM linemate, and — professionally speaking — last four years longer, Perrin might finally come back home. When he does, he hopes to use the wisdom of an impressive 22-year hockey career to benefit the next generation.
“I’m not closing the door on anything. With college hockey, that’s always kept my interest. I feel I’ve got so much to offer about this game. I’ve been playing it so long and been so many places. Hockey’s my life. That’s what I know.”
The legacy continues.
