Peter Forsberg bids NHL goodbye
Veteran and legend Peter Forsberg has announced his retirement on Monday, making what seemed like a comeback for one of Hockey’s greatest players short-lived. It was an emotional moment for Forsberg sitting beside his fiancée, Nicole Nordin. and all his
well wishers as he tried to fight back the tears during his live press conference in Denver, Colorado where he announced his retirement from the NHL.
After have re-joining the NHL recently this year after his last playoff performance in 2008, he managed to play only 2 games with the Colorado Avalanche before deciding to let himself go.
"The time has finally come that I'm going to retire from the game of ice hockey," Forsberg, 37, said. "I won't be able to second guess myself. I really tried and I tried and I tried. I'm really sure about my decision this time.
His decision came as a surprise to many team-mates and spectators but is viewed as a correct decision while analyzing his game performance and injury-riddled history. The former 2003 NHL MVP has had major problems with his right ankle and foot, dislodging
him from playing many weeks at a time.
"After this past weekend I came to the sad conclusion that I was going to have to retire. It was not an easy decision. Believe me; the process I went through was even tougher. Throughout my career I had 25 surgeries and I promised my fiancée Nicole that
I would not put my health at risk anymore,” Forsberg said commenting on what was going through his mind.
It was the continuous foot related problems that have lead Forsberg to making this decision; as he played recently against Columbus and Nashville, he noticed the troubles of his foot sliding becoming more and more evident and problematic. Different methods,
skates, and accessories were experimented with but were of no benefit.
A Farwell Comeback to the NHL
Not more than a week ago, Peter signed a $1 million prorated deal to play the remaining part of the season for the team that he helped win two Stanley Cup championships. When initial visa delay problems were settled, he geared up and went on a road trip
with the Avalanche for two games, being a player that never went minus, it didn’t go well for him, not being able to score in both games given over 35 minutes on the ice and receiving numbers in the negative.
His No.21 jersey will be retired by the Avalanche in some point next season, and induction into the hall of fame later on is a no brainer, and given the opportunity to see if he is able to play or not his something he appreciates a lot.
Legendary
The Swedish player will always be remembered for his on-ice strategies, physical play and being one of the most all-rounder players ever. As of now, he stands 10th and 4th for career points-per-game and career assists-per-game respectively,
only slightly behind the greats such as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. A 19-year professional hockey career of which 13 are with the NHL where he has won two Stanley Cup championships, both with the Colorado Avalanche and numerous individual honours
including the 2003 MVP, Olympic hockey gold medals, NHL Rookie of the Year, the Hart Memorial Trophy and is a member of the Triple Gold Club.
He leaves the NHL with an astonishing 885 points in 708 games, having played with the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Nordiques, Philadelphia Flyers and mostly with the Colorado Avalanche.
"I hope people here will remember ..." Peter Forsberg began to say, as he wiped tears from his eyes. "... that when I walked out of the rink, I gave everything."
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