Monday, January 24, 2011

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.

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