Forsberg Cuts Comeback Short

I seem to remember not too long ago that Peter Forsberg had said that his foot problems were quite severe and his thoughts of comeback were mired in doubt. When Forsberg started practicing with the Avalanche in January, he had really only made mention of wanting to practice with the level of talent and tempo that he aspired to play against again, making sure that he could.  Saying that, when the signing announcement finally came around, I was under the impression (assuming, if you will) that Forsberg was at a compete level where he could finish the regular season for one last hurrah.

Well, that assumption was incorrect.  On Monday morning, Forsberg called a press conference for the afternoon in Denver to announce that he will indeed retire from the game and call it a season after only two games back on the ice.

Forsberg only managed games against the Blue Jackets and the Predators in his brief comeback, playing in over 17 minutes per game, no points, 4 PIM and was a -4.  Not exactly your storybook ending, but it is definitely the ending of a player who has been dealing with crippling injuries in the latter part of his career.

The 2-time Stanley Cup winner had a pretty good career, despite it being shortened by injuries.  Forsberg played in 708 career games with the Nordiques, Avalanche, Flyers and Predators, scoring 249 goals and 636 assists for 885 points.  A Calder Trophy  winner in 1995, Hart Trophy and Art Ross winner in 2003, 2-time Olympic gold medalist and 5-time All-Star.

Like I had said earlier, I thought it was fair to assume that when Forsberg signed his deal that he would be good to go for the rest of the season.  The injuries should have been a flag to question whether or not he could and likely were, but it is still Forsberg we're talking about.  It's hard to look at him and not think of how much he could help your pool team if you had the chance to pick him up.  Allan S., the draft leader, decided to take that chance with the last pick in the second waiver draft and now it looks like it will bite him in the rear end, as the last eight weeks of the season will now be played a man down.

It should be fair to think that Forsberg did have a Hall of Fame career, despite how short it turned out to be. His point-per-game production is excellent, he has a Cup to his name and a multitude of awards and honours, it would be silly to think he isn't worthy of a call.  He would certainly have my vote, if I had one.

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