Of course I’m speaking of Peter Forsberg whose final stats will show 885 points, 2 Stanley Cup rings, 2 Olympic gold medals (resulting in a Swedish postage stamp after his 1994 game-wining shootout goal against Canada), and more retirements than I can even remember. In my opinion though, despite this post’s title, Forsberg deserved the benefit of the doubt because as the best two-way player in the game, he took alot of punishment. His laundry list of injuries is on par with those of an NFL QB: spleen removal, ankle surgery, double-digit foot surgeries due to a chronic condition and a few concussions thrown in for good measure.
But even I can’t understand why at 37 years old, he decided to have another go-round with the Avs – who will surely retire his jersey – and then call it quits after just 2 games! Granted his -4 rating with no points contributed wasn’t great but neither are the Avalanche. In fact, when I originally tried to wrap my head around this comeback, I thought the biggest benefit would be the added leadership from a respected, veteran player for a struggling young team. As Forsberg is holding a press conference to officially announce his retirement, maybe we’ll find out more but I doubt it as he’s somewhat of an enigma.
Whatever the outcome of this last public NHL foray, I wish him the best and will remember his bull-like strength and tape-to-tape passes that rivaled those of Gretzky. See you in the Hall of Fame!
Swedish postage stamp commemorating the 1994 olympic gold medal
2001 Stanley Cup champs - photo courtesy of milehighhockey.com
