It might seem like the story that never goes away, but it’s got legs now and the fans in Denver are officially more excited than they’ve been since 2001. Peter Forsberg practiced yet again today with the Colorado Avalanche in his efforts to figure out if he’s in shape and ready to make yet another comeback in the NHL.
The former Avalanche superstar made his first appearance on the ice yesterday and was out there again today and if you believe everything you’re reading out of Denver, his return to the Avalanche not only might happen but might happen sooner than you think.
Denver Post beat writer Adrian Dater, whose coverage of Forsberg’s return is virtually Entertainment Tonight-esque, tweeted his thoughts about what he thinks Forsberg’s future holds and he believes that Forsberg could be signed and suited up and on the ice for the Avs for their game on February 3rd at home against Minnesota.
For those of us that are skeptical about Forsberg’s wont to comeback at 37 years-old and a long history of foot injuries, including one that prevented him from playing for his Swedish team MoDo, having his comeback game come at home makes sense but also reeks of pandering to wayward Avalanche fans who for some reason haven’t adopted the new, young, and fun to watch crop of current players.
Far be it from us to tell Peter Forsberg what to do, but like we’ve seen in other sports where once great athletes try to hang on a little too long, the entire escape becomes sad to watch. If, and these are gigantic if’s, he can come back and play and stay healthy for the rest of the season and playoffs then it’s a perfectly sound pickup for the Avalanche and gives them a boost in the stands. Of course, Forsberg hasn’t been healthy in years. Not in the NHL, not in the Swedish league so counting on that happen seems like a fools folly.
While the Avs have an opening in the lineup with Tomas Fleischmann out for the season, are the Avs so thin in their system that bringing Forsberg back on a public relations-beneficial whim the way to go? That’s up for debate. Still, if the fans in Denver or anywhere else think they’re going to see the power forward that tormented the NHL for years in the 90s and early 2000s, they’re fooling themselves and the Avalanche might be setting themselves up for a major letdown.
