As of Sunday, Peter Forsberg was still a member of the Avalanche, having just flown home to Denver with the rest of his teammates after a tough Saturday night loss to Nashville.
After the loss, Forsberg spoke of the need to "keep on working" at his game and his comeback, which had just reached two games.
The comeback is over. At 2:30 p.m. today at the Pepsi Center, Forsberg will announce his career is over.
With one last shocking surprise in a career filled with them, Forsberg this morning notified the Avalanche he would retire effective immediately.
In one last heartbreak for Avs fans, they won't be able to see him play one more time on home ice. Forsberg will not play in tonight's game against the Calgary Flames.
The only two games he played for the Avs were in Columbus, Ohio, and Nashville, Tenn. Save the ticket stubs to those, because they mark the final games of one of the NHL's greatest players.
Forsberg's final statistics weren't pretty in the two games. He did not record a point and was a minus-4. But he played better than the stats showed. He made several pretty passes that could have resulted in goals, and he still showed the smarts that made him one of the league's toughest players to defend. He finishes with 885 points, with two Stanley Cup rings and two Olympic gold medals.
His number 21 will be retired by the team at some point. Forsberg dropped some subtle hints that he wasn't feeling the way he hoped after the two games, though he also seemed excited at having played the games without any seeming great pain in his troubled right foot.
But apparently the play he did show just didn't meet up to his standards, and before it got any worse, he decided to quit now.
Forsberg was not on the ice for the Avs' 10:30 a.m. skate today.
"I don't think I played a good game today," Forsberg said after the Avalanche lost 5-3 to the Predators on Saturday night.
Forsberg looked quick in his skates in that game in the first period and was dangerous with the puck, but seemed to tire toward the end of the game and was called for two minor penalties.
Over the two games he played in, Forsberg was a minus-4 with no points.
On Feb. 6, Forsberg, 37, signed a one-year, $1 million contract prorated with a bit more than one third of the season to play.
Here is a chronology of his comeback attempt:
Early December: After another surgery on his right foot, Forsberg skates on an informal basis with players from Sweden's Modo junior team.
Christmas time: Forsberg begins feeling discomfort again in the foot and informs Modo's general manager, former Vancouver Canucks star Markus Naslund, that he will abandon skating with the juniors. Retirement seems near.
Jan. 20: Forsberg starts feeling better after skating again with help from a new brace on his right foot. He instructs his agent, Don Baizley, to call the Avs and ask if he can practice with the team to determine a possible comeback to the NHL. The Avs comply.
Jan. 22: Forsberg skates at the Pepsi Center with injured Avs center Ryan O'Reilly and assistant coach Steve Konowalchuk. The next day, Forsberg practices with the rest of the team.
Jan. 28-31: Forsberg skates on his own in Denver during the NHL all-star break.
Jan 26: Forsberg has his first practice with the team after the all-star break. He says if he had to decide that day whether to return, "It wouldn't be all that positive."
Jan. 28: Forsberg practices again with team and calls it "a good day." But he maintains he hasn't decided whether he is fit enough to play.
Feb. 6: After two days of tossing and turning, trying to make up his mind, and after a practice in which he wears an orange, noncontact jersey, Forsberg says he wants to make the leap to signing with the team and playing in real games again. He signs a one-year, $1 million prorated contract.
Continue to check denverpost.com for updates.
Taken from: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17384500
After the loss, Forsberg spoke of the need to "keep on working" at his game and his comeback, which had just reached two games.
The comeback is over. At 2:30 p.m. today at the Pepsi Center, Forsberg will announce his career is over.
With one last shocking surprise in a career filled with them, Forsberg this morning notified the Avalanche he would retire effective immediately.
In one last heartbreak for Avs fans, they won't be able to see him play one more time on home ice. Forsberg will not play in tonight's game against the Calgary Flames.
The only two games he played for the Avs were in Columbus, Ohio, and Nashville, Tenn. Save the ticket stubs to those, because they mark the final games of one of the NHL's greatest players.
Forsberg's final statistics weren't pretty in the two games. He did not record a point and was a minus-4. But he played better than the stats showed. He made several pretty passes that could have resulted in goals, and he still showed the smarts that made him one of the league's toughest players to defend. He finishes with 885 points, with two Stanley Cup rings and two Olympic gold medals.
His number 21 will be retired by the team at some point. Forsberg dropped some subtle hints that he wasn't feeling the way he hoped after the two games, though he also seemed excited at having played the games without any seeming great pain in his troubled right foot.
But apparently the play he did show just didn't meet up to his standards, and before it got any worse, he decided to quit now.
Forsberg was not on the ice for the Avs' 10:30 a.m. skate today.
"I don't think I played a good game today," Forsberg said after the Avalanche lost 5-3 to the Predators on Saturday night.
Forsberg looked quick in his skates in that game in the first period and was dangerous with the puck, but seemed to tire toward the end of the game and was called for two minor penalties.
Over the two games he played in, Forsberg was a minus-4 with no points.
On Feb. 6, Forsberg, 37, signed a one-year, $1 million contract prorated with a bit more than one third of the season to play.
Here is a chronology of his comeback attempt:
Early December: After another surgery on his right foot, Forsberg skates on an informal basis with players from Sweden's Modo junior team.
Christmas time: Forsberg begins feeling discomfort again in the foot and informs Modo's general manager, former Vancouver Canucks star Markus Naslund, that he will abandon skating with the juniors. Retirement seems near.
Jan. 20: Forsberg starts feeling better after skating again with help from a new brace on his right foot. He instructs his agent, Don Baizley, to call the Avs and ask if he can practice with the team to determine a possible comeback to the NHL. The Avs comply.
Jan. 22: Forsberg skates at the Pepsi Center with injured Avs center Ryan O'Reilly and assistant coach Steve Konowalchuk. The next day, Forsberg practices with the rest of the team.
Jan. 28-31: Forsberg skates on his own in Denver during the NHL all-star break.
Jan 26: Forsberg has his first practice with the team after the all-star break. He says if he had to decide that day whether to return, "It wouldn't be all that positive."
Jan. 28: Forsberg practices again with team and calls it "a good day." But he maintains he hasn't decided whether he is fit enough to play.
Feb. 6: After two days of tossing and turning, trying to make up his mind, and after a practice in which he wears an orange, noncontact jersey, Forsberg says he wants to make the leap to signing with the team and playing in real games again. He signs a one-year, $1 million prorated contract.
Continue to check denverpost.com for updates.
Taken from: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17384500
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