Forsberg - Here We Go Again

You can count me among the people who were totally caught off guard by the announcement that Peter Forsberg was going to come and start practicing with the Avalanche. I sincerely believed after hearing earlier this season that he was not playing in Europe that he was finally going to hang up the skates. Then comes the announcement that Forsberg is back in Denver to practice with the Avs for a while to see if he's able to keep up with players at the NHL level.

I had planned on attending practice Sunday prior to the announcement and considered not going because I knew it would be a circus with Forsberg's presence. However, I ultimately decided to go and see some of my friends that I don't get to see all that often. When I showed up at the practice facility, the parking lot was full, but that was attributed at least partially to the people there for the two youth hockey games going on prior to practice (there are two sheets of ice there). However, after the rink emptied out from the game, I took a seat and watched as the bleachers slowly filled up with Avs fans. On an average practice day there is plenty of room in the stands to sit without being packed in. In fact, the only time it ever fills up really is training camp.

Forsberg came out onto the ice to the cheers of the crowd and took part in the team's normal drills. The practice was definitely one of the harder ones I've seen in a while, understandable given the teams' last two large losses at home. After a run-through of the usual drills, the team skated suicides at the end of practice. Forsberg participated in the whole practice and looked pretty good the whole time. He did a pretty good job of keeping up with the Avs young, fast team. While only he can tell you how the foot felt, anyone watching could tell you it didn't look too bad.

The official word is still that Forsberg has no contract of any kind and he is just practicing with the team to see how he feels. I think a lot of us suspect that there is some kind of deal brewing, especially given that he looked good skating with the team and has said to the media that his foot feels better than it has in a long time. Whether or not he ends up signing with the team and playing this season, the Avs have certainly seen an astronomical boost in interest at practice. Just imagine what a Peter Forsberg signing could do for attendance at games. It's a little sad that the signing of one player could actually do more to boost attendance than any of the other attempts by the team to get fans in the seats (although I'm not sure they've really done much).

Personally, I don't think Forsberg joining the Avs could hurt anything at this point. With the recent loss of Tomas Fleischmann for the rest of the season and no real progress being made on the part of Peter Mueller, the Avs could use another scorer in the lineup. It seems that after being among the highest scoring teams in the league for a while, goals have been in shorter supply of late. Even if he's not the Forsberg of the past, he is still probably a better player than many of the players in the league right now. Anyway, he would bring a great veteran presence to the team and our young players could learn a lot from playing with him. So, really what would it hurt bringing Peter Forsberg back to the Avs?

If, for some reason, Forsberg decides he can't keep up with the pace of the fast-paced game that the Avs play, then I really hope he retires. I understand that he really loves the game of hockey and can only imagine how frustrating it is for him to not be able to play. However, I think we are all getting sick of hearing about how Forsberg might try to come back sometime (is this going to continue until he's an old man?!). We hear it pretty much every year at some point, usually early on and then again as we draw nearer to the trade deadline. He is right up there with some of the best players the Avs have ever had, but at some point enough is enough. If he's physically able to play the game, good, if not, I think it might really be time to give it up.

I don't have any inside knowledge, but it seems that all the news coming out regarding Forsberg lately has been positive. That would lead me to suspect that he will be signing a contract and joining the Avs at some point relatively soon. Obviously, he has only had one off-day practice and two morning skates with the team, so he'll probably need some time to get back up to NHL-level conditioning. I guess we will all just have to wait and see what develops as far as the latest comeback for Forsberg.

And as for those drawing comparisons between Peter Forsberg and the NFL's Brett Favre, give it a rest. Favre officially retired from his league, whereas Forsberg never has. Forsberg has left the NHL and played overseas while attempting to get back from a nagging injury. He never called it quits where Favre has, so it's not the same situation at all. Sure, it's getting a little annoying hearing about how Forsberg might come back all the time, but at least he didn't quit playing in the league by choice.

Hello Again!

It’s been a while since I’ve written for numerous reasons: real life was busy with a lot of things going on and I’ve had some technological issues as well. The good news is I’m back! As always, there’s no guarantees as to how often I can post (who knows, maybe this computer will die on me tomorrow!), but I’ll try to update at least once a week.

A lot has gone on with the Avs since my last posting, so there’s no way I can cover it all. When I last wrote, Chris Stewart had just recently broken his hand in the fight against Kyle Brodziak of the Minnesota Wild. Now he has returned to the lineup as of January 14th and has recorded one point, an assist in the 5-1 loss to Nashville on January 20th. Kyle Quincey was injured on December 11th in the game vs. the Washington Capitals and shortly thereafter it was announced that he was out for the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury requiring surgery.

Defenseman Kyle Cumiskey, who has not played a game since October 30th when he got what was initially deemed to be a minor concussion, finally returned to the lineup against Nashville on January 20th. He had been previously cleared to play, but was sticking to practice only as he needed to get back up to speed with his conditioning. He was a -2 on the night, but the whole team did not play spectacularly well and we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that it’s just a bit of rust from not having played in nearly 3 months.

TJ Galiardi was a healthy scratch for the January 14th game against the Minnesota Wild and then played against the Vancouver Canucks on January 18th. Following the Canucks game, Galiardi was demoted to Lake Erie in a move that came as a pretty big surprise to most. Due to the unfortunate loss of Tomas Fleischmann for the season due to pulmonary emboli, Galiardi has been recalled to the Avs and will be available to play against the Bruins. There was much speculation as to why Galiardi was demoted, but clearly Sacco was trying to send the message that he needs to play better. In his one game with the Lake Erie Monsters, Galiardi had an assist. Hopefully, he will play much better now that he’s getting to come back to the Avs.

Ryan O’Reilly has been lost for approximately 2 weeks with a shoulder injury after a scary incident in which he lost an edge and fell awkwardly headfirst into the boards on January 14th against the Minnesota Wild. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher, always a scary sight for teammates and fans alike, and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. After it was determined that O’Reilly did not suffer a head or spinal injury, he was able to return to Denver with the team. Given the initial scary appearance of the injury, it was a relief to all that O’Reilly would only be out temporarily. He skated on January 21st prior to practice in a non-contact jersey for the first time since his injury.

Peter Mueller, who was not even seen at practices or games for a time due to his post-concussion symptoms, has lately been seen around the team again. He has been seen leaving the Pepsi Center after games and was even spotted peaking out of the locker room during a recent practice. Whether or not he’s anywhere close to attempting to practice with the team in the near future remains to be seen, but I’d take it as a positive sign that he’s hanging around the team again.

In probably the most talked about news of all, it was announced that starting with the pre-game skate on January 22nd, Peter Forsberg would be practicing with the Avs. There are no guarantees whatsoever that he will be able to re-join the team, but this is rather a test to see whether or not he can compete at the NHL level. If nothing else Forsberg’s presence could be beneficial for the team as the young players can get tips and advice from him.
Given all the horrible luck the Avs have had with injuries this year, it really probably couldn’t hurt to have Forsberg in the lineup if he were able to play. Even if he’s not 100% at the level he used to be, he can still be a very skilled hockey player. If it’s determined that he won’t be physically up to the NHL level, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing either. Maybe he would finally throw in the towel and decide to retire. It’s not that anyone necessarily wants to see the end of Forsberg’s career, especially in what will be such a frustrating manner, but it would end the constant speculation that he might try for another return to the NHL.

The going has felt like a bit of a roller coaster for Avs fans lately with players returning from injury only to lose more players. They’ve been winning games and seemingly losing quite a few as well, but they’re still hanging in the very tight playoff picture in the Western Conference. As of January 21st, the Avs are clinging to the 8th spot with 54 points, even with Chicago and only 4 points behind 4th place Nashville. Unfortunately, San Jose and Minnesota are right on their tail with 53 points each and St. Louis is not far behind with 51 points. Even 12th and 13th place Los Angeles and Columbus have 49 points. The Western Conference playoff picture will likely not be solidified until the last day of the regular season.