Over the course of his Hockey-Hall-of-Fame career, forward Peter Forsberg won two Stanley Cups — and in this exclusive story from THN's archive, associate editor Bob McKenzie profiled Forsberg as a key member of the Colorado Avalanche.
In the 1999-2000 season, the Colorado Avalanche were one of the final four teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And in this cover story from THN’s May. 26, 2000 edition (Vol. 52, Issue 35), then-associate editor Bob McKenzie profiled Avs star Peter Forsberg and his contributions to Colorado’s cause.
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In his 10 seasons with the Avalanche, Forsberg won two Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. And opponents and teammates alike marvelled at what Forsberg could do on the ice on any given night.
“He was unbelievable,” said Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Teppo Numminen after Colorado knocked them off in their first-round series in 2000. “As the series went on, he got better. He’s hard to play against because he’s like (Jaromir) Jagr-strong, fast, great moves and vision. But (Forsberg) is also very physical. He wants to punish you.”
Forsberg proved to be a Hockey Hall-of-Fame competitor in his 13-year NHL career, and he was fueled not only by his exceptional talent but by a burning desire to succeed.
“He plays an emotional game,” said Avs coach Bob Hartley. “His adrenaline gets flowing and we all know how emotional he can get, but that’s Peter Forsberg. He’s a thoroughbred and you have to let thoroughbreds run.”
THE WARRIOR
By Bob McKenzie
Two days before renewing acquaintances with Richard Matvichuk and Derian Hatcher, Peter Forsberg was thinking of a much closer friend far, far away.
“How are they treating my buddy Mats Sundin in Toronto?” the Colorado Avalanche’s Swedish center asked about the Maple Leafs’ Swedish center.
When informed some media and fans were trying to bury the Leaf captain after a poor performance in Toronto’s Round 2 series against New Jersey, Forsberg bemoaned the fickleness of sport.
“You have one bad playoff series and they want to run you out of town,” said Forsberg with a sigh. “You have one good series and everyone wants to talk to you and tell you how great you are.”
Forsberg was speaking from experience, but what a playoff series it was.
“The best way I can put it is that Peter Forsberg just ran amok,” said Detroit Red Wings’ GM Kenny Holland of the player who scored four times, including three winners, and added two assists in five games. “For the second year in a row, Forsberg was the best player in our series against Colorado.”
And for the second year in a row the Avalanche knocked off the Wings to earn a date with Dallas in the Western Conference final. The Stars won last year’s series in seven games, with twin towers Matvichuk and Hatcher unmercifully pounding Forsberg, to the point where he required post-season shoulder surgery. They no doubt will try to do the same again this year.
None of this should come as a surprise, not the Stars trying to eliminate Forsberg and not Forsberg playing at the top of his game. Forsberg has unequivocally established himself as a premier player. He led the Avs to the Cup in 1996, but perhaps just as importantly, has forged himself as the NHL’s ultimate warrior, an unparalleled hybrid of talent and toughness.
But there was a recent exception, to his ice excellence.
“I was brutal this season,” Forsberg said. “Just terrible. I was hoping it would be different in the playoffs.”
So far, so good.
“He was unbelievable, especially in the last two games,” said Phoenix defenseman Teppo Numminen after the Avs eliminated the Coyotes in five games. “As the series went on, he got better. He’s hard to play against because he’s like (Jaromir) Jagr-strong, fast, great moves and vision. But (Forsberg) is also very physical. He wants to punish you.”
Most of the punishment he doled out in 1999-2000 was self-inflicted. As hard as he is on opponents, he’s even harder on himself when not playing well.
Unable to play until late November because he was recuperating from the shoulder surgery, Forsberg initially returned with a flourish he scored two goals and five points against Calgary in his first game back.
The next game, against Vancouver, he did what he has done so often in his career went looking for a little trouble when he didn’t need to Forsberg has a move he likes to do when he has the puck and a defender approaches him. He puts the puck in his skates, lowers his shoulder and attempts to make the checker the checkee. In only his second game back, Forsberg lowered the boom on Canuck center Andrew Cassels. Cassels, however, reacted angrily and Forsberg emerged with a hip injury that kept him out of the next two games.
In his next seven games, he recorded just three assists. Finally, beginning with a goal Dec. 20 against Carolina, Forsberg started to find the range. He recorded points in 12 straight contests and in an 18-game stretch, he had eight goals and 28 points. Then, against Vancouver Feb. 1, he suffered a concussion when hit by Todd Bertuzzi.
He missed five games and wasn’t the same upon his return. He scored only four goals and 16 points in his final 21 regular season games.
“I probably was playing even worse than the numbers show,” Forsberg said. “All I could think about was, ‘The playoffs are coming, what if I play like this in the playoffs?’”
Forsberg’s work against Phoenix and Detroit has allayed any fears that he might have lost the qualities that made him such a special player. But he has undergone some changes in his game that have made him more effective. For one, he’s completely healthy, in peak condition for the first time this season. For another, he’s maturing. The book on him has always been to challenge him to a war because he’s too macho to back down. While he’s still a physical threat he threw some of the biggest hits in the Detroit series he’s doing it while in control of his emotions. He’s not wigging out like he used to.
“I think he has moved beyond that stage,” said Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock. “You can’t just have one guy hitting him and trying to throw him off his game anymore. You have to have all five guys on the ice working together to shut him down.”
Forsberg acknowledges he’s a little more controlled than he used to be, but doesn’t believe he’s really changed his game much.
“Maybe I don’t go looking for it as much,” he said. “But I don’t think I’m that different a player than I was.”
Bob Hartley agrees with that assessment and he’s pleased Forsberg is more focused, but the Avs’ coach recognizes the essence of Forsberg’s game is how he can hurt opponents physically as well as on the scoreboard.
“He plays an emotional game,” Hartley said.
“His adrenaline gets flowing and we all know how emotional he can get, but that’s Peter Forsberg. He’s a thoroughbred and you have to let thoroughbreds run.”
But the Avs have to be there for him when he does go over the edge.
“Peter is strong enough to many this team on his shoulders,” Hartley said, “but during the season, when he was frustrated because of the injuries and not playing well, he was trying to carry the whole weight of the Pepsi Center, too. That was too heavy.”
The Avs tried to keep things positive. They showed Forsberg clips of his best work. They encouraged him to play smart.
They also, early in the playoffs, moved him from center to left wing. It’s not the first time they’ve done that-he has lined up there with Joe Sakic when Colorado loads up a No. 1 line but this was with Stephane Yelle or Chris Drury at center and Adam Deadmarsh on the right side.
“We wanted to get Peter into the attack quicker,” Hartley said. “By playing wing, instead of center where there’s a responsibility to come back low in your own end, we can give him the puck and he’s right on the opposing defenseman.”
Said Forsberg: “It’s a little easier position to play. You don’t use up as much energy. There’s less hitting.”
That, of course, could change against Dallas. Detroit and Phoenix are not as punishing as the Stars. The Wings and Coyotes couldn’t contain the Avs’ two-headed monster of a No. 1 line led by Sakic and a No. 2 line with Forsberg.
It’s for that reason the Stars’ Hitchcock was toying with breaking up his top blueline pairing of Hatcher and Matvichuk. One would be assigned to hammer at Sakic, the other would be on Forsberg.
Fine by Forsberg. Playing at a peak level during the playoffs is what he fives for. It’s what energizes him. Injuries and not performing to his capability are what drain him, what many believe could drive him out of the NHL at a young age.
At 26 and completing his sixth NHL season, Forsberg has two years remaining on a contract that will pay him $10 million next season and $11 million the year after that. There was speculation earlier this season that when his deal expires he might head home to Sweden and finish his playing days in his hometown of Ornskoldsvik with MoDo. His teammates don’t envision him in the NHL in his mid-30s. But rumors of his imminent departure, he said, are greatly exaggerated.
“I like it here,” Forsberg said. “I like Denver. I like the NHL. I’ll be 28 when my contract expires. As long as I don’t get any really serious injuries, I don’t see any reason to leave just yet.”
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