Peter Forsberg

At 50 years old, Peter Forsberg has this physical status:

Peter Mattias "Foppa" Forsberg (born 20 July 1973) is a Swedish retired professional ice hockey player and was for a time assistant general manager of Modo Hockey.

Known for his on-ice vision and physical play, Forsberg is considered one of the greatest players of all time.

Although his career was shortened by persistent injuries, as of 2014, he stands eighth all-time in career points-per-game and fourth all-time in career assists-per-game in the NHL, only behind Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr.

In 2017 Forsberg was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.His 19-year professional career includes 13 years in the National Hockey League (NHL), where he won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche, as well as several individual honors including the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2003.

As of the end of the 2017–18 season, he is the seventh-highest all-time Swedish point scorer in the NHL regular season.

Before his short-lived comeback season in 2011, Forsberg never had a negative plus-minus rating, giving him an overall career rating of +238. Representing Sweden in international play, Forsberg competed in four Winter Olympics, two World Cups and five World Championships, as well as one European Junior Championship and two World Junior Championships, where he holds a scoring record of 31 points in seven games that some say may never be broken.

He won four gold medals with Sweden in his career, winning titles at the 1992 and 1998 World Championships and the 1994 and 2006 Winter Olympics.

Combined with his two Stanley Cup championships in NHL play, he is a member of the Triple Gold Club and the only Swede who has won each of the three competitions twice.

In 2013, he was inducted to the IIHF Hall of Fame, and in 2014, he was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Early life

Peter Forsberg was born in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, the son of Kent Forsberg, a former coach of Modo Hockey and the Swedish national team. Forsberg was coached by his father for a significant part of his career: the two teamed up from 1991 to 1994 with Modo and later for the national team in the 1996 World Cup, 1998 Olympics and 1998 World Championship, which Sweden won.

Forsberg played minor hockey alongside boyhood friend Markus Näslund, who was also born in Örnsköldsvik. Born ten days apart, the two were well-acquainted while playing on separate youth teams before joining on the regional Ångermanland all-star team for the under-16 TV-pucken national championship in 1988. They went on to compete alongside each other at the junior and men's level for both Modo Hockey and the Swedish national team. Forsberg and Näslund also attended high school together and had summer jobs at the age of 18 with the same electrical company that employed both Näslund's mother and Forsberg's father.

Growing up, Forsberg's idol was Elitserien and NHL star Håkan Loob.

Personal life

Philanthropically, Forsberg and childhood friend Markus Näslund founded Icebreakers, an organization that brings together professional ice hockey players for exhibition games to raise money for charities.

In late 2010, Forsberg became engaged to fellow Swede Nicole Nordin in Paris. In June 2012, the couple had their first child, a son. In September 2014, their second child, a daughter, was born. In May 2016 they had their third child. The family is since 2018 residing in Zug, Switzerland.

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Playing career

Forsberg made his debut in 1990 with Modo Hockey's junior squad, the club in his hometown, rnsköldsvik. During the season, he joined the senior team in Sweden's highest-level professional ice hockey league, scoring an assist in his first game. He scored 102 points in 39 games with the junior team and 17 points in 23 games with the senior team in 1990–91.

Forsberg was drafted sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1991, the first European player to be drafted that year. Forsberg was expected to be picked later in the draft, which was surprising. Forsberg was ranked as the 25th best draft prospect in the 1991 draft preview, according to the Hockey News, who rated him as "a solid second rounder with a chance to advance to the first." The pick was criticized by the Philadelphia press, causing Flyers' General Manager Russ Farwell and team's Chief European scout Inge Hammarström to promise that time will prove them wrong.

The draft's most notable feature was Eric Lindros. He was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques but he refused to sign a deal, and his mother urged him to end a holdout that lasted more than a year. Forsberg was one of five players, two first-round draft picks, and US$15 million to the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for Lindros. The Lindros trade is seen as one of the most one-sided sports transactions in history, and the deal became a major catalyst for the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise's success over the next decade.

Forsberg stayed in Sweden and spent three years for Modo. The team was disqualified in the playoffs against Malmö in 1993, but Forsberg earned the Guldpucken for Player of the Year and the Guldhjen for Most Valuable Player of the Elitserien, an award decided by the players. He won both awards in 1994 after his team barely made the playoffs, and he led his team to their first final appearance since winning the Elitserien playoffs in 1979. Forsberg scored in overtime in Game 2 to put his team one win away from the title in a five-game series, as well as against Malmö. However, Modo and his frog survived the remaining games of the series and the series, despite him suffering from the flu (influenza vs. Modo). Forsberg was considered the best player in the world outside of the NHL at this time. Forsberg expressed his dissatisfaction with the game's referee, first by breaking his stick and then chastising Malmö for many power plays, resulting in the game's referee, Börje Johansson, who then started raising the tolerance level. Forsberg's comment that he wanted to give Börje a boost have become extremely popular in Swedish ice hockey regions. Later, Börje denied calling the game in favor of Malmö, and claimed that Forsberg hadn't given him a hit.

Forsberg decided to play in the NHL during the summer of 1994 after first signing a 1993 deal with the Quebec Nordiques. It was a four-year contract worth $6.5 million, with $4.275 million as a signing bonus. However, a lockout postponed his NHL debut until 1995, and Forsberg returned to Modo to play 11 more games before heading back to North America.

Following the lockout, the 1994–95 NHL season began on January 21, 1995. Forsberg made his NHL debut against the Philadelphia Flyers, the team that drafted him, on July 4th, and he recorded his first NHL assist. He made his first NHL appearance against the Buffalo Sabres six days later. Forsberg's rookie season in the NHL was impressive—he was able to balance offensive and defensive duties as well as physical play. In 47 games, including a 14-game run in which he scored 26 points and was second in scoring on the Nordiques, behind Joe Sakic, he scored 50 points (15 goals and 35 assists), including a 14-game run in which he scored 26 points in 47 games. Due to the flu, he only played one game. The Nordiques won the Northeast Division and had the second-best record in the league during the regular season, but they lost in the first playoff round to the New York Rangers in the first round. Forsberg was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team at the end of the season and was crowned the Best rookie in the league.

Marcel Aubut, the Nordiques' owner, announced on July 1, 1995, that the company had sold the Nordiques' management to the COMSAT Entertainment Group, which then moved the team to Denver, Colorado. On August 10, 1995, the Colorado Avalanche was introduced as a franchise. In Game 6 against the Rangers, Forsberg scored the first goal in Nordiques history.

Forsberg was on a team that featured center and captain Joe Sakic, defenseman Adam Foote, and, in the near future, Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy champion Patrick Roy. The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in its first year in Denver after winning the Pacific Division and finishing the regular season in a second-best league record and winning the second season. Forsberg scored 116 points in the regular season (31 goals, 86 assists), and 21 more in the playoffs (11 goals, 11 assists). In the regular and post-season, Forsberg finished second in points on the team and fifth overall in the league. Forsberg made his sixth appearance in NHL history against the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Not only was the 1995-96 NHL season Forsberg's best-scoring year, but it will also be the first NHL season in which he played in all his team's games.

Due to a bruised thigh, Forsberg played in only 65 regular-season games and 14 of Colorado's 17 playoff games in 1996-1997. As Colorado earned its first Presidents' Trophy and the franchise's third consecutive division championship, the actor earned 86 points (28 goals, 58 assists). Forsberg was in the first bout of his NHL career against Detroit Red Wings winger Martin Lapointe on March 16, 1997. The brawl took place ten days before the famous Red Wings–Avalanche brawl. Colorado lost in the Conference Finals against Detroit in the playoffs; Forsberg scored 17 points (five goals, 12 assists).

Forsberg was chosen to be on the front page of NHL 98, a video game produced by EA Sports, in the same year.

The Avalanche won their second Stanley Cup in 2001. Forsberg had to have his spleen removed after the Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the playoffs, and he would not return to play again in the playoffs. Based on doctors' recommendations and his general state of wellness, he decided not to return to the following season to heal. He returned to the playoffs, led the playoffs in scoring with 27 points, but his team lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference finals.

Forsberg's 2002–03 year was a great success. He centered the highly profitable "AMP line" (i.e. (Alex, Milan, Peter) was accompanied by wingers Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk as part of Colorado Aval's "one-two punch" offensive initiative led by center Forsberg and Joe Sakic. He became more fit and relaxed over the past two years than he had been in the previous two years, winning the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Memorial Trophy for league MVP. In the playoffs, the Avalanche lost to the Minnesota Wild.

During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Peter Forsberg returned to Modo Hockey. Even before the 2004-2005 NHL season was announced, he had signed a one-year deal. Forsberg, who was accompanied by his father and colleagues with NHL players Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Markus Näslund, played only 33 of Modo's 50 regular season games because of injury after dislocating his left arm and breaking a bone in his hand. He had 39 points (13 goals and 26 assists) and finished eighth in the league scoring competition, tying for eighth. Modo finished sixth in the regular season and lost in the first round of the playoffs against Färjestad BK in a six-game series in which Forsberg appeared only once.

Forsberg returned to North America after the season came to an end and with the return of the NHL. The introduction of a salary cap put the Colorado Avalanche, one of the league's highest spenders, to save room in the cap for Joe Sakic and Rob Blake. He turned down a four-year, $13.5 million contract with the Avalanche before deciding on a two-year, $11.5 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, the team that drafted Forsberg 14 years ago.

He underwent surgery to remove a bursa sac from his right ankle before the season began. He made his Flyers debut against the New York Rangers on October 5 in New York. In his first game and 12 in his first six games, he had two assists in his first game and 12 in his first six. Despite only playing 60 games, mainly due to a groin injury, he scored 75 points (19 goals and 56 assists). In the first round of the playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres, the Flyers lost.

Because of an abnormal arch that caused him to stretch his ankle tendons, he had surgery on his right ankle and foot to correct deformities after the season. He was supposed to have the same surgery on his left foot and be sidelined until January, but a doctor decided he didn't need it and was ready to play by the 2006–07 NHL season. Forsberg was the 15th captain in Flyers history on September 14, 2006, after Keith Primeau retired (the interim captain). Forsberg had his worst season ever, but he was still suffering from right foot injuries and had doubts about his future.

The Flyers traded Forsberg's contract to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Ryan Parent, Scottye Upshall, and Nashville's first-and-third-round picks to improve Nashville's playoff run, with his deal ending at the end of the season and with no guarantee on his future if Forsberg's signing a new one or to retire. Forsberg returned to Denver for the first time since leaving the Avalanche, and the Predators' last regular season game was at Colorado. As a result, the Predators won and Colorado missed the playoffs. This was the first time the Avalanche had failed to make the playoffs since being moved to Colorado. In the first round of the playoffs against the San Jose Sharks, the Predators lost, with Forsberg scoring four points in the five-game series. Forsberg's average was less than one point per game in the regular season, and he was in second place in the playoffs for the second time.

For the bulk of the 2007–08 season, Forsberg was an unrestricted free agent who did not return to the league and said he would not return to the NHL. He had foot surgery and was wondering if he was able to play. He said he would only play for Modo Hockey in Europe, and in the NHL, he'd almost play for one of his former three clubs. Forsberg signed a deal with the Colorado Avalanche for the remainder of the 2007–08 season on February 25, 2008.

Forsberg's first game with the Avalanche was on March 4, 2008, home at the Pepsi Center against the Vancouver Canucks. However, he was forced to miss just three games due to a groin injury. He was rated by the club as day-to-day. In Colorado's penultimate regular-season game, he scored his first goal of the season on April 1, against Vancouver.

During the 2007–08 regular season, Forsberg was first among all NHL players in points-per-game (PPG). He had an average of 1.56 PPG in nine games, putting him ahead of league leader Alexander Ovechkin, who had 1.37 PPG, despite the fact that Ovechkin had played all 82 games.

Forsberg spent two seasons with Modo from 2008 to 2010, being joined by countryman Markus Näslund in the second year. Forsberg, the entrepreneur, said on August 14, 2010 that he was not excited about returning to hockey, hinting that he might not return to the sport.

Forsberg had started training with the Colorado Avalanche in the hopes of making a comeback in the NHL on January 21, 2011.

The Avalanche revealed on February 6th that they had come to terms on a 1 year deal with Forsberg worth $1 million for the remainder of the 2010-11 season. On Tuesday, Forsberg appeared in his first game back with the Avalanche in Nationwide Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Milan Hejduk, a departure from his natural center, as well as Matt Duchene, were in the starting lineup at left wing, along with 2001 Stanley Cup champion Milan Hejduk. Forsberg was on the ice for 17 minutes and 38 seconds, with zero points and a minus rating of 4.8. Both games were lost by the Avalanche. Forsberg was the best player on the ice after the last game, according to Avalanche Head Coach Joe Sacco.

Forsberg's first home game as a member of the squad, the Avalanche, who was in the middle of a losing season, has heavily promoted tickets for the team's first home game. However, Forsberg resigned from hockey on February 14, 2011, just hours before he was supposed to play in front of the Avalanche's home fans at the Pepsi Center. According to Forsberg's official website, he would hold a press conference later this day, officially announcing his resignation. Forsberg cited a "inability to protect (himself)" on the ice, citing foot problems as a factor in his decision.

Career achievements

All awards data were obtained from NHL.com.

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