Forsberg Back Practicing With Avalanche
Added on Jan 25, 2011 by J Merrill in
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Former Colorado Avalanche Center Peter Forsberg, who toyed with idea of retiring after a foot injury, was back on the ice on Sunday. Fans packed the standing room only section of the Avalanche’s practice this past Sunday to see how the 2 time Stanley Cup winner Peter Forsberg would look.
Forsberg said after the game that it was great to see the fans there, as other players have said they haven’t been attending a lot of practices. He said “It was great. The guys told me that not too many people have been watching the practices. It’s great to be back here. I have great memories. It’s definitely better to see some people here. At least they care a little bit.”
Forsberg is basically auditioning for a spot of the Avalanche roster which is strange when you think that he is one of the most popular players in Colorado’s franchise history. He picked a bad time to try and practice though, as coaches have been cracking the whip because of the last two straight losses that put them at ninth place in the Western Conference. Forsberg said the practice was tough, and also admitted he was nervous. He said “I was very nervous before the practice about how fast it was going to be,. I felt great for the first 10 minutes and then my legs got a little heavy after that. Of course it’s awesome to be back here and to put on the Avalanche jersey again. Hopefully I can stick. It’s hard to judge after one practice, even if it was fast today and the guys were quick. Hopefully I’ll get better and better. Hopefully the guys can get a win (Monday against St. Louis) and it’ll be a little easier practice on Tuesday.”
Forsberg was one of the NHL’s elite players in his prime – he won the Hart and Art Ross Trophies in 2002-03 and helped the Avalanche win Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001 – but he’s 37 years old and in recent seasons has been limited by groin ailments and a troublesome right foot.
Colorado Coach Joe Sacco said Forsberg looked good, and said “I thought he looked well, I thought he played well. I thought he worked hard considering the terms of the practice. It was a hard practice today, but he had energy. I thought he did a good job.”
Sacco also made it clear hat there is no hurry, no rush, and no timetable. He said Forsberg will need to prove to himself and to the Avalanche in practices that he can play without pain and at a satisfactory level in order to be offered a contract. He said “There’s no expectations here. No one really knows what his foot’s really like, how his body is really like. I know he’s got that desire to keep playing and he wants to be out there. It’s fun to have him out there. He’s quite a special player and you can tell he’s got the smarts for the game.” Sacco concluded “There’s no timetable. Peter will be the one, he’ll have a big say in it, too, on however long we feel it’s going to be necessary. He wants to see where he’s at and we’re going to give him that opportunity.”
As far as what Forsberg says of his foot, he says its good, and he is going to take it one step at a time. He said “I can’t complain; it’s been worse. I’m not going to go and talk about it exactly, but it felt OK today. Hopefully I’m going to feel better and better here and get into the work habits and everything. These guys are great skaters. It’s a young team and they were flying out there. I’m just going to try and stick with the tempo for a few days and see if I can get there.”Former Colorado Avalanche Center Peter Forsberg, who toyed with idea of retiring after a foot injury, was back on the ice on Sunday. Fans packed the standing room only section of the Avalanche’s practice this past Sunday to see how the 2 time Stanley Cup winner Peter Forsberg would look.
Forsberg said after the game that it was great to see the fans there, as other players have said they haven’t been attending a lot of practices. He said “It was great. The guys told me that not too many people have been watching the practices. It’s great to be back here. I have great memories. It’s definitely better to see some people here. At least they care a little bit.”
Forsberg is basically auditioning for a spot of the Avalanche roster which is strange when you think that he is one of the most popular players in Colorado’s franchise history. He picked a bad time to try and practice though, as coaches have been cracking the whip because of the last two straight losses that put them at ninth place in the Western Conference. Forsberg said the practice was tough, and also admitted he was nervous. He said “I was very nervous before the practice about how fast it was going to be,. I felt great for the first 10 minutes and then my legs got a little heavy after that. Of course it’s awesome to be back here and to put on the Avalanche jersey again. Hopefully I can stick. It’s hard to judge after one practice, even if it was fast today and the guys were quick. Hopefully I’ll get better and better. Hopefully the guys can get a win (Monday against St. Louis) and it’ll be a little easier practice on Tuesday.”
Forsberg was one of the NHL’s elite players in his prime – he won the Hart and Art Ross Trophies in 2002-03 and helped the Avalanche win Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001 – but he’s 37 years old and in recent seasons has been limited by groin ailments and a troublesome right foot.
Colorado Coach Joe Sacco said Forsberg looked good, and said “I thought he looked well, I thought he played well. I thought he worked hard considering the terms of the practice. It was a hard practice today, but he had energy. I thought he did a good job.”
Sacco also made it clear hat there is no hurry, no rush, and no timetable. He said Forsberg will need to prove to himself and to the Avalanche in practices that he can play without pain and at a satisfactory level in order to be offered a contract. He said “There’s no expectations here. No one really knows what his foot’s really like, how his body is really like. I know he’s got that desire to keep playing and he wants to be out there. It’s fun to have him out there. He’s quite a special player and you can tell he’s got the smarts for the game.” Sacco concluded “There’s no timetable. Peter will be the one, he’ll have a big say in it, too, on however long we feel it’s going to be necessary. He wants to see where he’s at and we’re going to give him that opportunity.”
As far as what Forsberg says of his foot, he says its good, and he is going to take it one step at a time. He said “I can’t complain; it’s been worse. I’m not going to go and talk about it exactly, but it felt OK today. Hopefully I’m going to feel better and better here and get into the work habits and everything. These guys are great skaters. It’s a young team and they were flying out there. I’m just going to try and stick with the tempo for a few days and see if I can get there.”
Matt Duchene, the Avalanche’s 20 year old center, said Forsberg looked great. He said he briefly spoke with Peter on the ice. He said “We had a little chat on the ice, just talking about how he’s feeling. I told him I’m going to be bugging him every day he’s here. It’ll be cool if he gets in the lineup. I don’t think he missed much of a beat (in practice). He hasn’t been in the NHL in a while, but I think for a guy like him with that caliber it’s going to be pretty easy to get back into it.”
Matt Duchene, the Avalanche’s 20 year old center, said Forsberg looked great. He said he briefly spoke with Peter on the ice. He said “We had a little chat on the ice, just talking about how he’s feeling. I told him I’m going to be bugging him every day he’s here. It’ll be cool if he gets in the lineup. I don’t think he missed much of a beat (in practice). He hasn’t been in the NHL in a while, but I think for a guy like him with that caliber it’s going to be pretty easy to get back into it.”
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