A Tribute to Peter Forsberg

by Jes

Despite the fact that I deride Swedish hockey players, I've always had a serious man-crush on Peter Mattias Forsberg. If I had to look like a celebrity, I'd choose Forsberg, or Jiri Slegr. (We're no strangers to love)

What defines the standard 'Canadian' hockey player that we hold in such high regard? Looking at Forsberg, he's probably the most Canadian hockey player of all time.

You know the rules, and so do I: Drive, heart, grit, determination ... Forsberg has all of that. Who else could come back from a broken ankle, broken spleen, and the numerous other injuries to be as effective as Forsberg. Mere mortals would have given up, but Peter Forsberg is no mortal.

Despite all of the pain, he'll never give up.

Clutch? Forsberg is that. We know he's one of the best NHL playoff performers of all time, and we can't forget how he pwned Canada at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games.

Selflessness? Yep. Forsberg dishes out plenty of assists, and always looks to set up his friends, rather than selfishly shoot the puck like Alexander Ovechkin or Pavel Bure. In terms of team players, Forsberg has always given it his all and never worried about personal glory. A full commitment, is what I'm thinking of.

Let's took a look back at the career of Peter The Great. You wouldn't get this from any other guy.

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Peter Forsberg, is one of the most easily recognized names in the sport of ice hockey. He was a great from the minute he joined the NHL in regular season, but he was driven far above the rest when he played (and helped win) the Stanley Cup Playoffs while suffering from internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen. After winning the Cup he landed in the hospital to have it removed.

The next season, Forsberg virtually disappeared. The following season he brushed off the Avalanche (and the $11-million paycheck) because he didn't think he was prepared to get back into the game. The game we all love, the game Peter loves, had taken its toll. Forsberg headed home to frozen Sweden in a town so far north that it has only hours of moderate daylight in winter. Most of us were resigned to Peter being gone from the game -- a thought we hated but could not affect. I remember when ESPN's article, "Finding Forsberg" came out... I wasn't sure if I wanted them to find him or to leave him alone.

Peter is the essence of hockey. He is an outstanding two-way player with grit and determination and a true love and passion for the game. When the Hockey Gods got together to create the mold Peter eventually became, they knew it was a one-shot deal... Forsberg is a one-of-a-kind.

...and now that the Canucks are basically going to flop in the playoffs (Should they make it), I can finally jump on the Avalanche bandwagon and outwardly appreciate Peter, rather than curse his name outwardly while inwardly coveting him.

Accomplishments:

Only Swedish player to have won the Stanley Cup, World Championship, and Olympic Hockey Gold on two occasions.

Drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers as the 6th pick in the 1991 NHL Draft.

Traded to Quebec Nordiques for Eric Lindros (et al)

Scored the penalty-shot goal that won Sweden the Gold in the Winter Olympics in 1994

Played first NHL season in 1994-95 (strike-shortened season) grabbing 50 points and the Calder Trophy

In 1995, became a Colorado Avalanche when the Nordiques moved to Colorado, scored 116 points during the regular season and 21 points in 22 games to help win the Stanley Cup

2001 heralded a second Stanley Cup with the Avalanche but a ruptured spleen for Forsberg

In 2002-2003 Forsberg led the league with 106 points and awarded the Hart Trophy

Material shamelessly stolen from 'hockeychic'

Reunion Time in Colorado

by Jes



What is this? 2001?

First, the Avs sign Peter Forsberg and his bionic foot.

Then, the Avs trade for Adam Foote.

I wouldn't be surprised if Patrick Roy came out of retirement to suit up.

The price for the rental is STEEP: A first round draft choice.

From The Hat:

That’s an exceptionally high price to pay for a rental, so presumably, the Avalanche felt they needed Foote’s experience and toughness on a blue line that had been relatively soft all season.

Earlier, they surrendered Karlis Skrastins and a third-rounder to the Florida Panthers for Ruslan Salei, who hadn’t played in Colorado before but was an effective player for Anaheim when they made that unexpected run to the 2003 Stanley Cup final.

A little known fact: Salei averaged above 26 minutes for the then Mighty Ducks in that playoff run. Salei is a quietly effective player. On the Panthers, he was second in overall ice time behind only Jay Bouwmeester, generally a pretty good indication of how important a role a player can have.

The Avs have been freefalling lately, after managing to win games without their big stars.

Now, as the stars filter back into the lineup, and the Avs get Foote and Forsberg into the lineup, Canucks fans like myself are nervous about Colorado re-finding their groove.

And, yes, Slew-foot Salei is a fine defenseman that gets little notice. Skrastins was clearly skating around with a fork in his back, and the Avs needed an upgrade on D.

*gulp*

No Comeback for Peter Forsberg

by Jes

Much ado about nothing, it seems ...

Forsberg's agent Don Baizley has begun advising NHL teams that Forsberg doesn't have enough confidence in his wonky foot to commit to a return to the league this season.

''The prospect of Peter having enough confidence in the foot-skate issue to commit to being able to play in the NHL this season isn't where it needs to be at this moment,'' Baizley told TSN. ''As a result, teams are being told it is unlikely he will be able to commit to return to the NHL this season.''

D00d, just retire already. Your body is broken, you've got Stanley Cup bling, and you don't need to prove anything to anyone.


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Link of the Day: For you Americans who don't have the pleasure of seeing TSN's hockey coverage, Melt Your Face Off Blog does a great transcription of your typical intermission gossip segment.

Hail Senator Forsberg?

by Jes

It seems the Peter Forsberg rumor train, that has toured through Colorado and Detroit, has no landed in Ottawa.

Yes, Bryan Murray and the Ottawa Senators apparently have interest in Forsberg, and would love him to play for their squad once he's healthy (as healthy as Forsberg can be, I suppose)

"There should be a number of reasons why we'd be one of the teams he may be interested in joining. I hope he thinks we have a good team, that we got to the final and we have a chance to do it again, and I think Daniel Alfredsson is his friend. I think there are things in our favour."

Murray thinks they are friends? Hmm, all of the scuttlebutt I've heard suggests that they are anything but. While Naslund and Forsberg are quite cozy, Alfredsson has, allegedly, been unhappy with the way Forsberg gets star treatment from the Swedish national squad.

However, these are grown men and could put aside such squabble for the common goal of winning a Stanley Cup. The Senators are at $46.4 million in committed cap space, so Forsberg would have to come at a discount, or have part of his salary not count due to injury.

Just imagine the havoc that the follow forward unit could pull off in a playoff situation ...

Heatley-Spezza-Eaves

Vermette-Forsberg-Alfredsson

Kelly-Fisher-Neil

McAmmond-Hennessy-Donovan


Over at The FanHouse, Greg W. is far from impressed ...

Despite being a Cup contender, Ottawa just doesn't seem to fit the profile for what Forsberg and his agent desire. But hey, you can't blame Murray for trying: When your biggest off-season addition is a 38-year-old defenseman playing for his fourth team in three years, dropping Forsberg's name months before he's ready to play is a nice distraction.

I would figure Forsberg's ideal team WOULD be Ottawa, despite its cold winters. The Senators are a definite favourite to take the Eastern Conference, and give Forsberg a shot at one more cup ring.

Blogger Poll #1: Who is the Worst Free Agent Signing?

by Jes

On a lark, I decided to poll a few of my fellow hockey bloggers with a selected question. This could become a regular feature, since it offers the chance to get a spectrum of views in a nice capsulated format.

The first question: What was the worst free agent signing of the NHL off-season?

The one with the most answers with mighty-mite Daniel Briere, for which the Flyers were panned heavily for giving out such a long-term deal to a shrimp.

Mike Chen:

I'm going with Daniel Briere. Who the hell gets an EIGHT-YEAR term not named Crosby or Ovechkin? (Jes: Rick DiPietro) Couple it with the fact that the Flyers don't play Buffalo's go-go-go system, nor do they have the same offensive depth as the Sabres, and you're looking at a marked point drop and a bad cap hit for years to come. I could be wrong, but I see Briere's skills tapering off around year four of his deal.

Snoopyjode, from The Sidney Crosby Show:

BY FAR, my choice is the Daniel Briere signing. The Flyers basically bet the entire ranch on him. He's a somewhat decent and reliable player, but he's only had one really notable "standout" season in the NHL, so he's not even close to being worth what he got in that deal.

AND, Earl Sleek from the Battle of California:

In my opinion, the worst free agent signing this offseason was Philly's signing of Daniel Briere. I don't watch a ton of eastern conference hockey, but looking at the dollars and years committed, I think he's a guy who's very likely to underperform over the life of the contract.

Ritch Duncan, the American Hockey Fan (yes, the only one), had a very unique choice: Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics.

OK, how is a basketball trade the worst move of the hockey off-season? I'll tell ya. If there was one consolation for Bruins fans living in a town dominated by the Sox and Patriots, we could argue that with the Celtics around, the B's weren't the most pathetic team in town. It wouldn't have been a strong argument, but one could make it. Now, thanks to Mr. Garnett ( who has 2 inches on Zdeno Chara, by the way), the Boston Bruins are the least interesting sports draw in New England.

My fellow FanHouse cohort, Greg Wyshynski, wasn't too excited about the Habs paying heavily for a 2nd line defenseman.

Roman Hamrlik, four-year, $22-million deal with Montreal. He nearly had Mark Streit's stats, and now he has Sheldon Souray's money.

Michael the Hockey Fanatic chastised Kevin Lowe for his crazy RFA bids. I have to disagree about the 'playing nice' part, however. Hockey is war, on and off the ice ...

"I think the Vanek/Penner signing was the worst this off season because it exposed a loop hole in the FA rules when everybody is supposed to play nice and focus on the big picture of winning back fans."

JP Swenson, my San Francisco tour guide, and webmeister of the long-running Sharkspage.com agrees with me that the Ducks signing Todd Bertuzzi was dumber than Eddie Murphy thinking we want to see him making bad jokes in a fat suit for the third time.

Instead of hanging on to a young, dominant physical power forward and matching Edmonton's offer to Dustin Penner, Burke signs an aging Bertuzzi to a contract that hamstrings the Ducks financially. Bertuzzi has yet to regain his previous form after returning from injury, and there are too many off ice issues that might cause distractions down the line. Burke did not want his players to develop in a "fear free" environment, but now they may have to fear how the loss of a Niedermayer and Selanne will effect the team down the stretch run and in the playoffs.

The Acid Queen loves to hate (the Red Wings) and is predicting woe to those who sign Peter Forsberg and his "glass ankles".

It's going to be whoever signs Peter Forsberg--hopefully that'll be Detroit, so I can laugh at them. The guy has glass ankles, and he's breaking down rapidly. Peter The Great is no longer so. He should just retire from the NHL and head back to Sweden so he can try to win an SEL title with MoDo.

As for myself, I almost agree with my girlfriend, who suggest that "Anyone who doesn't sign Jan Bulis" is the answer to the worst FA signing question, but I'll have to go with Dustin Penner.

As much as I like the big lug, he is nowhere near worth $4mil per season AND all of the draft picks the Oilers gave up to get him. The Flyers will give up just cap space, while the Oilers give up that and some future assets for a 2nd line winger.

PS: HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY TO SIDNEY CROSBY!!

One more year and he can legally drink in the US of A.