Colorado Avalanche Welcome Back Peter Forsberg; How Did Forsberg Fair?

For the first time since 2008, Peter Forsberg donned a Colorado Avalanche sweater and stepped on the ice to play some NHL hockey.  So, how did he do?

Well, the Avalanche lost the game against Columbus tonight, a team that they traditionally dominate, 3-1.  Peter Budaj played very well tonight, but the Avs just couldn't get any offense going throughout.  Yet, there was a lot of good things to talk about, in regards to Peter Forsberg.

He started out the game a little bit cautious, as one would expect.  He is 37 and hasn't played hockey at the NHL level in a long time, but things definitely picked up.

In the second period you really started to see some of the plays that Peter Forsberg became famous for making.  Where he would wait to play the puck and take the one second to give a shoulder to the guy coming to try and play the body on him.  You saw him work against the deep boards against multiple members of the defense and maintain control of the puck.  He made a few great plays to set up teammates, but some of those passes got fumbled or they were too busy watching Forsberg to go to the open spot.

His stat line for the night was 22 shifts, 17:38 of ice time, and a -1.  Way more time than you would expect for a guy who is playing his first bits of NHL hockey in years, but really solid minutes.  He played on a line with Hejduk and Duchene, which is probably the best possible fit for this guy.  He had two shifts on the power play where he made some great plays and marvelous passes.  If Liles had gotten some good wood on the shot, he may have had an assist on that power play.

After the game, Forsberg said that he felt he probably could have played better.  Obviously he is used to being able to play at a specific level, but he also knows that only time will get him back to the level he wants to play at.  In his post game interview, Coach Sacco said that Peter was arguably the best player for the Avs tonight.  About the only thing that I, personally, would want to change about Forsberg's first game back is to have the Avs win.  Other than that, it was about as good as anybody could expect.

In the end, the game was a loss, and Peter Forsberg is a very competitive guy.  He wants to win, but more than anything, he wants to play the game that he loves.  Forsberg will only get better as the games go by, and the young Avalanche members will benefit from his experience.  Regardless of whether or not the Avs end up making the playoffs, Forsberg's presence will be a positive influence on a team that needs a lot of developing.