by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor
The second NHL comeback of former superstar Peter Forsberg is over after just two games.
Forsberg, the 37-year-old Swede who hooked on with the Avalanche last week, made it official on Monday afternoon.
"The time has finally come, I am retiring from the game of ice hockey,” said Forsberg. “I’ve played hockey all my life but I’ve come to the decision that I’ve played my final game. It is perfect for me to announce my retirement here in Denver, as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.”
The news comes as a shock, with Colorado in the midst of a seven- game losing streak that has seen the club tumble to 14th in the Western Conference.
Once the sixth-overall pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1991 draft, “Foppa” eventually came back home for a 100-game stint from 2005-07.
Forsberg announced his intentions of attempting a comeback last month. The former league MVP had been hindered by foot/ankle problems as far back as his time with the Flyers, but after skating with the Avalanche for a couple weeks last month, he pronounced himself healthy and signed a contract with the club on February 6 for the remainder of the season. Visa issues then kept him out of the lineup until this past weekend.
Nearly three years removed from his last NHL action, Forsberg made his season debut Friday at Columbus. He also played Saturday as Colorado closed out a four-game road trip in Nashville, but was held pointless in both contests and finished with a minus-4 rating.
It was a far cry from his initial return to the game, a nine-game trial with a veteran-laden Avalanche club at the tail end of the 2007-08 campaign. Forsberg tallied one goal and 13 assists in nine regular-season appearances, then added five points in seven playoff games.
Aided by the likes of Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny, the Avalanche topped Dallas in the first round but a sudden rash of injuries derailed the team against rival Detroit in a four-game sweep to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
Forsberg then returned home to Sweden, but, hampered by those same foot/ankle issues, only played in 26 games over the next two seasons in the Elite League with his hometown club MoDo Ornskoldsvik.
The Avalanche organization will retire Forsberg’s #21 jersey during a special ceremony next season. Details of that event will be announced in the coming months.
“We were proud to offer him the opportunity to come back and play for the Avalanche and certainly respect his decision,” said Avalanche General Manager and Executive Vice President Greg Sherman. “We wish him all the best.”
It is the end of a journey for the slick centerman who made his reputation in the NHL almost single-handedly attempting to dispel all negative stereotypes about European-trained players.
Just as likely to burn a defenseman with a deke or pass as he was to take one on in the corners, Forsberg’s career was shortened and his impact on the game muted by his litany of injuries.
Arriving in Quebec City in a package deal after the blockbuster 1992 trade for Eric Lindros, Forsberg burst onto the international scene by scoring the game-winning shootout goal over Canada in the Gold Medal game at Lillehammer against Team Canada.
He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in the lockout-shortened 1995 season, posting 50 points in 47 games for the Nordiques in their final season of existence.
In 1996, Forsberg was a key cog in the first of two Avalanche Stanley Cup titles, notching 116 points in the regular season and scoring a hat trick in Game 2 of the Finals against Florida. Though he remained an offensive force, Forsberg never again played a full NHL season for the rest of his North American tenure.
He missed 17 games in 1996-97, and then 33 games in 1999-2000. A ruptured spleen caused him to miss the final two rounds of the Avs’ 2001 Cup run, and multiple issues wiped out the entire following regular season.
After a successful 2002 playoffs, Forsberg tallied a league-high 106 points in 2002-03 and took home the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, but more injuries caused a total of 43 absences the very next year.
Philadelphia finally welcomed Forsberg prior to the start of the 2005-06 campaign, but foot and ankle problems and subsequent surgeries, limited him to 60 games. Though he totaled 75 points, the Flyers bowed to Buffalo in the first round.
After just forty games of the next season, Forsberg was dealt to Nashville in a deal which eventually netted the club Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent. The Predators fell to San Jose in the first round and Forsberg began to contemplate his place in the game, eventually returning in March, 2008 to Denver.
Nonetheless, he had a positive impact on the career of Simon Gagne, who recorded career-bests in goals during the 05-06 and 06-07 seasons while playing as a winger on the top line with Forsberg.
Over 708 regular-season games, Forsberg accumulated 249 goals and 885 points and was a plus-238. In 151 playoff appearances, he racked up 64 goals and 171 points.
He departs as the fourth-highest scoring Swedish-born player in NHL history. Only Mats Sundin (1,349), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,090) and Daniel Alfredsson (1,023) have posted more points.
Showing posts with label Forsberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forsberg. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
That was quick: Forsberg to announce retirement
Peter Forsberg's second NHL comeback has been aborted after just two games.
The 37-year-old Swede will announce his retirement later this afternoon, per the Colorado Avalanche website.
The 37-year-old Swede will announce his retirement later this afternoon, per the Colorado Avalanche website.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
And So It Begins Again: Forsberg signs with Avalanche
by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor
Peter Forsberg is not done yet.
Nearly three years since injuries derailed his first comeback attempt, the formerly-super Swede decided to return to the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.
The slick center made his second comeback announcement Sunday, following the team's practice in preparation for Monday's game in Phoenix.
The 37-year-old signed a deal for the remainder of the 2010-11 campaign, though no details were released by the team. According to the Denver Post, the contract is worth $1 million but pro-rated for the rest of the season. It is still to be determined when Forsberg will take the ice for his first game, but the Post also reported that Forsberg travelled with the Avs to Arizona.
"We're proud to announce that Peter will be back in an Avalanche sweater," said general manager Greg Sherman. "He will provide additional leadership to our club and he will have an impact with this young team."
Forsberg started practicing with the Avs on January 22 and came to the conclusion that he was healthy enough, after foot ailments made it difficult for him to even skate, to resume his career.
"After testing my abilities with NHL players over the last few weeks, I feel confident that I can play at the NHL level and help this team," Forsberg said. "I wanted to see where I was at physically and I am ready for this new challenge."
Forsberg last played during the tail end 2007-08 campaign, when he posted a lone goal and 13 assists in nine games with Colorado. During that postseason, he helped the Avs top Dallas in the first round before multiple injuries to he and other key personnel resulted in a four-game sweep at the hands of rival Detroit in the Western Semifinals.
He made a splash during his first NHL season, eventually voted was the Rookie of the Year in 1995 with Quebec after posting 50 points in a lockout-shortened schedule, then took home the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2003, when he also led the league with 106 points.
Forsberg was a key cog in two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche in 1996 and 2001 and was also selected to seven NHL All-Star Games.
After scoring the Gold medal-winning goal for Sweden during the 1994 Olympics, he was immortalized on a postage stamp in his home country. Forsberg was also a member of Sweden's 2006 Gold medal-winning Olympic team and has represented his country four times in the quadrennial tournament.
Philadelphia selected Forsberg with the sixth overall choice in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft but traded him to the Nordiques, along with Chris Simon, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman and Ron Hextall in the blockbuster June, 1992 deal that sent Eric Lindros to the Flyers.
He has collected 249 goals and 885 points during his brilliant but oft-injured 12-year career with the Nordiques, Avs, Flyers and Predators, adding 171 points in 151 playoff contests (64 goals, 107 assists).
With Colorado, Forsberg missed 17 games in 1996-97, 33 games in 1999-2000, the remaining two rounds of the 2001 playoffs due to a ruptured spleen, all of the 2001-02 regular season due to multiple issues, then 43 games in 2003-04.
He participated in just 100 of a possible 138 contests in one-plus seasons with the Flyers from 2005-07, then was healthy for a 22-game stretch at the end of 2007 after being dealt to Nashville. At that time, foot and ankle issues derailed his ability to fully participate in practices and games -- the same problems which prevented "Foppa" from playing a whole season in 2008.
Forsberg then returned to his hometown and played sporadically for Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik, appearing in 26 games from 2008-10.
Phanatic Hockey Editor
Peter Forsberg is not done yet.
Nearly three years since injuries derailed his first comeback attempt, the formerly-super Swede decided to return to the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.
The slick center made his second comeback announcement Sunday, following the team's practice in preparation for Monday's game in Phoenix.
The 37-year-old signed a deal for the remainder of the 2010-11 campaign, though no details were released by the team. According to the Denver Post, the contract is worth $1 million but pro-rated for the rest of the season. It is still to be determined when Forsberg will take the ice for his first game, but the Post also reported that Forsberg travelled with the Avs to Arizona.
"We're proud to announce that Peter will be back in an Avalanche sweater," said general manager Greg Sherman. "He will provide additional leadership to our club and he will have an impact with this young team."
Forsberg started practicing with the Avs on January 22 and came to the conclusion that he was healthy enough, after foot ailments made it difficult for him to even skate, to resume his career.
"After testing my abilities with NHL players over the last few weeks, I feel confident that I can play at the NHL level and help this team," Forsberg said. "I wanted to see where I was at physically and I am ready for this new challenge."
Forsberg last played during the tail end 2007-08 campaign, when he posted a lone goal and 13 assists in nine games with Colorado. During that postseason, he helped the Avs top Dallas in the first round before multiple injuries to he and other key personnel resulted in a four-game sweep at the hands of rival Detroit in the Western Semifinals.
He made a splash during his first NHL season, eventually voted was the Rookie of the Year in 1995 with Quebec after posting 50 points in a lockout-shortened schedule, then took home the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2003, when he also led the league with 106 points.
Forsberg was a key cog in two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche in 1996 and 2001 and was also selected to seven NHL All-Star Games.
After scoring the Gold medal-winning goal for Sweden during the 1994 Olympics, he was immortalized on a postage stamp in his home country. Forsberg was also a member of Sweden's 2006 Gold medal-winning Olympic team and has represented his country four times in the quadrennial tournament.
Philadelphia selected Forsberg with the sixth overall choice in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft but traded him to the Nordiques, along with Chris Simon, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman and Ron Hextall in the blockbuster June, 1992 deal that sent Eric Lindros to the Flyers.
He has collected 249 goals and 885 points during his brilliant but oft-injured 12-year career with the Nordiques, Avs, Flyers and Predators, adding 171 points in 151 playoff contests (64 goals, 107 assists).
With Colorado, Forsberg missed 17 games in 1996-97, 33 games in 1999-2000, the remaining two rounds of the 2001 playoffs due to a ruptured spleen, all of the 2001-02 regular season due to multiple issues, then 43 games in 2003-04.
He participated in just 100 of a possible 138 contests in one-plus seasons with the Flyers from 2005-07, then was healthy for a 22-game stretch at the end of 2007 after being dealt to Nashville. At that time, foot and ankle issues derailed his ability to fully participate in practices and games -- the same problems which prevented "Foppa" from playing a whole season in 2008.
Forsberg then returned to his hometown and played sporadically for Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik, appearing in 26 games from 2008-10.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Just another hired gun
By Steven Lienert
Peter Forsberg said all the right things before he boarded a plane bound for Tennessee on Thursday night.
He liked it here in Philly, the team is turning a corner, Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble were the greatest teammates ever. Blah, blah, blah.
So Peter Forsberg goes from worst in the NHL to first in the matter of minutes. For the Flyers and their fans, there's a feeling that they have just been left behind.
First and foremost, this was something the Flyers absolutely had to do. They had to deal him, especially since he may retire after this year. To get nothing for him in a going-nowhere season would have been a crime.
He just never got what it actually meant to be a Flyer, which among other things, is displaying commitment to the organization. In the end, despite Mr. Snider's best sell job, Forsberg couldn't commit to playing next season with the Flyers. In other words, he abandoned the city.
He may retire, he may re-sign with Nashville. Anaheim and Detroit are interested too. He'll look at how Philly has progressed. But Forsberg said he's not going to sign anywhere before July 1.
His options will remain open, and if the Flyers can show improvement, maybe he'll want to come back. But should the Flyers want him at his current asking price? Absolutely not. Why cripple the team's salary cap for two more years of a declining Forsberg?
Perhaps Forsberg's ship has sailed. His final tallies as a Flyer? One-hundred games played (out of a possible 138), 30 goals, 85 assists for 115 points. But he has scored just 11 times in 40 games this season and he leaves Philly with a career-low plus-2 rating thus far this year.
However, Nashville is the perfect place for Forsberg to ride off into the sunset. He won't be counted upon to be great nearly as often as he had to be in Philadelphia. He won't have to lead a young group of players on his own.
In the playoffs, the Predators' mix of veterans will allow Forsberg to be more free than he ever was here -- Forsberg won't have to be the leader both on and off the ice. Maybe this is just what he needed, a Ray Bourque-esque final hurrah. I wish him well.
Perhaps without the weight of a 'C' on his jersey, he can lift another Stanley Cup.
Think Forsberg is hockey royalty? Kindly address all hate mail to slienert@phanaticmag.com
Peter Forsberg said all the right things before he boarded a plane bound for Tennessee on Thursday night.
He liked it here in Philly, the team is turning a corner, Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble were the greatest teammates ever. Blah, blah, blah.
So Peter Forsberg goes from worst in the NHL to first in the matter of minutes. For the Flyers and their fans, there's a feeling that they have just been left behind.
First and foremost, this was something the Flyers absolutely had to do. They had to deal him, especially since he may retire after this year. To get nothing for him in a going-nowhere season would have been a crime.
He just never got what it actually meant to be a Flyer, which among other things, is displaying commitment to the organization. In the end, despite Mr. Snider's best sell job, Forsberg couldn't commit to playing next season with the Flyers. In other words, he abandoned the city.
He may retire, he may re-sign with Nashville. Anaheim and Detroit are interested too. He'll look at how Philly has progressed. But Forsberg said he's not going to sign anywhere before July 1.
His options will remain open, and if the Flyers can show improvement, maybe he'll want to come back. But should the Flyers want him at his current asking price? Absolutely not. Why cripple the team's salary cap for two more years of a declining Forsberg?
Perhaps Forsberg's ship has sailed. His final tallies as a Flyer? One-hundred games played (out of a possible 138), 30 goals, 85 assists for 115 points. But he has scored just 11 times in 40 games this season and he leaves Philly with a career-low plus-2 rating thus far this year.
However, Nashville is the perfect place for Forsberg to ride off into the sunset. He won't be counted upon to be great nearly as often as he had to be in Philadelphia. He won't have to lead a young group of players on his own.
In the playoffs, the Predators' mix of veterans will allow Forsberg to be more free than he ever was here -- Forsberg won't have to be the leader both on and off the ice. Maybe this is just what he needed, a Ray Bourque-esque final hurrah. I wish him well.
Perhaps without the weight of a 'C' on his jersey, he can lift another Stanley Cup.
Think Forsberg is hockey royalty? Kindly address all hate mail to slienert@phanaticmag.com
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Forsberg never was a Flyer
By Steven Lienert
Peter Forsberg is one captain that isn't going down with his rudderless ship.
And it's disgusting.
I thought hockey players were supposed to be the last bastion of 'team-first' guys. I thought, in hockey, it's all about the crest on the front of your sweater instead of what's stitched across the back of your shoulders.
Forsberg wants out of Philly? Good riddance.
With a 'leader' like Forsberg, it's no wonder the Flyers are the worst team BY FAR in the NHL.
In fact, without Joe Sakic, Forsberg wouldn't be regarded as highly as he is.
Without Sakic donning the 'C' in Denver, Forsberg wouldn't have, couldn't have led the Avs to two Stanley Cup titles. Without Sakic, Forsberg would have been exactly what he is in Philadelphia: A whiny prima-donna that used an ill-fitting skate as an excuse not play for the worst team in hockey.
I was psyched when Forsberg signed here. With a healthy Keith Primeau, two decent goalies and a young Simon Gagne, I thought Forsberg would have been the guy to push the Flyers over the top.
His signing, though, masked the organization's depleted and cement-footed defensive corps. And without another guy to captain the ship, Forsberg was exposed as the fraudulent leader he really is.
That's why the Flyers will never bestow the same honor to Forsberg that they would to some other former captains. You know, guys that new what it meant to be a Flyer.
Yeah, I cheered in 1992 when the Flyers got Lindros and gave away Forsberg. And when Forsberg was hoisting Cups while Lindros sipped on apple sauce, I lamented the trade and wished Forsberg had been a Flyer for life.
Now I'm actually happy with the way things worked out. If we had counted on Forsberg to carry the squad all those years, the team would have had nearly the same amount of success that it had.
Forsberg never got it. And he never will.
Peter the Great my @#%.
Loyal to Lienert? Email him at slienert@phanaticmag.com
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Forsberg's fate could be decided Monday
According to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, captain Peter Forsberg will sit down with Comcast-Spectacor president Peter Luukko and Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren to discuss the player's future on Monday.
Luukko apparently is interested in re-signing Forsberg, not trading him, unless the Swede asks to be dealt.
The piece also states that Holmgren dismissed a Canadian TV report that said Forsberg waived his no-trade clause.
Luukko apparently is interested in re-signing Forsberg, not trading him, unless the Swede asks to be dealt.
The piece also states that Holmgren dismissed a Canadian TV report that said Forsberg waived his no-trade clause.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Forsberg trade rumors swirling
There's still a month remaining before the NHL trade deadline, but the focus is already squarely on one Peter Forsberg. The first strong rumor to surface was that the great Swede was heading to New York.
The latest one gives Flyers fans some awful memories, with a Denver TV station reporting that Forsberg may very well be going back to the Avalanche. Forsberg, of course, was shipped out of town along with several other key ingredients for Eric Lindros, then proceeded to bring home a pair of Stanley Cups for the Avs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)