Opinion: Even Forsberg has some doubts about his ability
DENVER - Wondering if Peter Forsberg is finished as a great hockey player? You�re not alone. A 34-year-old man who just arrived in Denver shares your doubts. �Maybe I�m not that good,� Forsberg said. �I don�t know....I don�t really care if I�m bad this time around.� The Forsberg experiment is not a guaranteed success. He has a bum right foot. He�s not in game shape. But he�s old enough and wise enough to refrain from grand proclamations. Forsberg didn�t promise to carry the Avalanche to the playoffs. He didn�t say he�s the same player who once dominated the NHL. He wouldn�t even reveal when he will play for the Avalanche, although Tuesday�s home game against Vancouver seems the best guess. �Hopefully, I can wait until I feel great on the ice,� he said. �We don�t have to rush anything.� When Forsberg signed a $1 million contract to join the Avalanche for the season�s stretch run, a bad case of nostalgia descended on Colorado hockey fans. Images of the old days when the Avalanche ruled the NHL danced in fans heads. Forsberg, though, isn�t afflicted with nostalgia. He�s taking a realistic plan into the future. �I don�t look back that much,� he said. �I look forward.� The view is blurry. Forsberg hopes to play another couple of seasons, but he�s not sure he can. He hopes to join the Avalanche for Tuesday�s game, but he�s not sure he�ll be ready. He promises to play with as much passion as ever. He vows to give his best. But here�s the mystery. What is Forsberg�s best? This isn�t 2002. It�s 2008, and Forsberg, along with everyone else, isn�t sure how effective he will be. �This is going to be a little test to see how it goes,� said Forsberg, wearing his old No. 21 along with dress pants and shoes. He spoke in matter-of-fact voice. He hopes to play great hockey for the Avalanche, thrill fans in the Pepsi Center and silence his skeptics, but he�s wise enough to realize his aching body might prevent all these visions. At 10:35 Saturday morning, Forsberg was finishing a rigorous 65-minute workout. He was doubled over, his hockey stick resting on his knees, his chest heaving. Yet at least a touch of his magic lingers. Just before Forsberg skated off the Pepsi Center ice to face bright TV lights and dozens of questions, he took quick passes from Avalanche assistant coach Jeff Hackett. He ripped seven straight shots into the net. His stick was a blur. His shot was as precise as it was in 1999. He was calm, back in his element. It was, at this instant, easy to remember when Forsberg reigned as the NHL�s best player and the Avalanche ruled the NHL. After the shots, Hackett skated away and Forsberg again doubled over. He was a weary man, alone on the ice, surrounded by thousands of empty seats and a gnawing sense of uncertainty. General manager Francois Giguere brushed away any questions about the risks involved in Forsberg�s comeback. �His legacy is secure,� Giguere said. His future is not.
