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As good of a player as Peter Forsberg was, it appears this forum has created its own idealized, hyperbolic version of him, overrating his dominance over his peers and sharing their misconceptions of his skill level. This idea of him as "the most complete hockey player who ever lived" is absurd, yet he has attained a monumental, godly degree of admiration, being deemed a far better player than he actually was.
In reality, while Peter Forsberg was a terrific player, he was not the unrivaled player many now believe him to have been.
Many point at his defensive prowess as something to be in awe about, but this is hardly representative of his defensive ability. While he was a strong defensive player, he never once won a Selke Trophy and was only sporadically considered a potential Selke candidate. The following thread comments on this, and the voices of many of our veteran hockey historians can be read below with opinions that contrast starkly with those of the misinformed public:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=949925
Forsberg was just naturally injury-prone. If he played today, as some tend to hypothesize regularly here, he would still face many of the same problems. That's just who he was, and it would not have changed regardless of era. It's one thing to have one recurring injury such as those of Bobby Orr, Eric Lindros, Cam Neely, Paul Kariya or Pavel Bure -- we can wonder what would have been if their one, initial injury had not occurred to set of a chain of unfortunate events and ruin a career; it's another issue entirely to have a body made of glass like Sami Salo and to be naturally prone to injuries. At that point the injuries are just unpreventable.
Here is a list of some of his injuries since 2000:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=816
We must note, though, that Forsberg was not without his criticisms. In two separate years, his teammates and coach are on record as saying at times he over-handles the puck, trying to do everything -- a trait that seems to be forgotten. The previous article about Forsberg's shooting tendencies highlights Tony Granato's thoughts, while below are comments from Patrick Roy. We also have insight from both articles about his tendency to dive and embellish penalties:
In the 2002-03 season, while some people here would make it seem Forsberg was the favorite to win the Hart Trophy, this was unclear until the very end of the season, and in fact Markus Naslund was ahead of Forsberg in points all year until the final game of the season -- Forsberg was not pegged to win it from the very start nor was he named the game's best player prior to that season. There were few claims that Forsberg was "the best player in the world" prior to 2003. In 2001, The Hockey News rated him fourth, behind Jaromir Jagr, Joe Sakic, and Mario Lemieux. In 2002, Nick Lidstrom was named the best NHL player in the world.
The fact that Markus Naslund was the players' choice in 2003 says it was not exactly unanimous either that people would have considered Forsberg the best player in the league that year, and that it was quite a divisive subject. Naslund won the Lester B. Pearson Award (now called the Ted Lindsay Award), and The Hockey News' player poll prior to the end of the season also named Markus the player most deserving of MVP honors.
During the Dead Puck Era, it was difficult to decide who the best player in the world was. That title seemed very fluid, and there were players constantly competing with one another for that honor. If Forsberg was the "best player" of the era, it wouldn't have been by much, and it certainly would have been extremely debatable.
This forum has developed a cult of Forsberg, elevating his status and exaggerating his prowess to a level far beyond the reality. He was a good player and a terrific playoff performer, but he was hardly even the best player in the league in his prime.
Would he be "the best player hands down" in this era, as some repeatedly suggest? Probably not. He might be a top five player, but between injuries of all sorts and against other competition, he would not be considered this generation's top player either. He was among the top players during the Dead Puck Era, but he never transcended his peers to any degree nor was he at the top for more than a very brief time in his career.
At his very best, he was fairly neck-and-neck with a few other candidates as well for the Hart and Art Ross trophies, some of whom are less respected here than him. With six games left, Markus Naslund was ahead in the scoring race, and with two games remaining each player had 103 points. Naslund had a goalless drought in his final six games, just five points in that time, and zero points in the final game of the season. Markus lost the Art Ross Trophy and consequently the Hart Trophy by falling to a sub-point-per-game average at the end of the year. Markus still won the Lester B. Pearson Award. Such a fine line determined the difference between Naslund and Forsberg in scoring that year, so the degree to which Forsberg was the top player in 2003 is ridiculously marginal. Forsberg was a very good player, but unlike what some others have suggested here, he would not run away with anything in the current NHL. He would perhaps be a top five player, but he would not stand above his peers.
The degree to which Forsberg as a player has been romanticized is alarming; a portrait of him has been painted that no longer accurately represents who he was and where he stands among other NHL players, past and present. Clearly, this is something that must be corrected.
In reality, while Peter Forsberg was a terrific player, he was not the unrivaled player many now believe him to have been.
Many point at his defensive prowess as something to be in awe about, but this is hardly representative of his defensive ability. While he was a strong defensive player, he never once won a Selke Trophy and was only sporadically considered a potential Selke candidate. The following thread comments on this, and the voices of many of our veteran hockey historians can be read below with opinions that contrast starkly with those of the misinformed public:
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=949925
Forsberg was good defensively, but except for one or two season he wasnt up there among the top 3-5 defensive players. Still a great feat considering the defensive players who were in the league in his prime.
I think the better question is "how did Peter Forsberg ever finish second in Selke voting?" He was always a very good two-way player, but I don't think he was ever an elite shutdown guy. The Selke votes Forsberg got early in his career were a lot like Toews from last season - a good scorer with INTANGIBLES - but never really a shutdown guy.
As you say, by 2002-03, Sakic was taking the tough defensive assignments at even strength and Forsberg effectively didn't kill penalties at all. He racked up the insane +/- mostly by destroying everyone offensively.
I never saw Forsberg as Selke calibre, especially in that era.
He was a good defensive player, but he was not the best in the league. He did not play PK very often, and was utilized as an offensive force. Anything extra he provided was just icing on the cake
No one's saying that he lacked defensive ability, just that he wasn't ever the #1 defensive forward in the league. And it would've been a very bad choice if he had won it over Peca.
We can take a look at his offensive abilities as well. He could score, but he often elected not to shoot the puck. When questioned, he could sometimes be evasive about it. He had terrific scoring ability, but he had a very strong stance about what he should be doing on the ice, and scoring was simply not something he thought about a lot of the time. In 2003, arguably his best season, he ranked 110th in shots.Because Forsberg was never the best defensive forward in the NHL.
Forsberg isn't nearly the sniper he could be: [Final Edition]
The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 03 Jan 2003: A42.
DENVER -- Should Peter Forsberg shoot more?
That question floated around the Colorado Avalanche locker room after the versatile forward recorded his fifth career hat-trick in last Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at the Pepsi Center.
"That's a tough question," Forsberg said when confronted with the question earlier in the week. "It's opportunities. When I'm skating well, I tend to get chances and get that little extra stride you need to get the shot off."
Statistics say Forsberg is more content to give up the puck to a teammate with a better scoring chance than force something to the net a goaltender can easily stop. Forsberg averages 2.4 shots per game, by far the fewest of any of the top six point producers on his team. Defenceman Rob Blake is on top with 3.9 shots per game and Joe Sakic (3.3) and Milan Hejduk (3.0) are the top shooting forwards.
Forsberg tends to draw the opposing team's best defenceman, and he gets knocked around enough to complain about that treatment to referees on the ice. If opposition defences are so geared to stop Forsberg, his teammates can get open for scoring chances.
"We don't want to do too much to correct Peter's game," said coach Tony Granato about getting him to shoot more. "We want to let him play. When Peter is going like he is, you don't want to tell him too much. I let him do his thing.
"There are times when he over-handles the puck. But the majority of the time, he will make the right play. He's a goal scorer. Other parts of his game, people look on as his best. But he certainly can score goals."
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Forsberg has 13 goals and 29 assists. Historically, the Swedish forward has more than double the amount of assists than goals during a season.
This season, Forsberg has had to battle nagging injuries.
"I've had a groin injury, then the concussion, then missing a game with the flu," said Forsberg. "That's just the way it is. Believe me, it's been worse for me. Last year I didn't play one game in the regular season. I had to get healthy."
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He was also incredibly injury prone -- and he was not just susceptible to one type of injury. In fact, he sustained all sorts of injuries during his career, from concussions, wrist injuries, groin injuries, rib injuries and thigh injuries to his ankle and spleen complications.Forsberg takes pass at scoring honours: 30-plus goal man usually captures Art Ross Trophy: [Early Edition]
Matheson, Jim. Calgary Herald [Calgary, Alta] 04 Apr 2003: F2.
Conventional wisdom says you can't win a scoring race unless you score. Passing's an admirable trait and shows how unselfish you are, but it's been close to 40 years since anybody won the Art Ross trophy without at least 30 goals.
Avs' centre Peter Forsberg could be the first since Blackhawks' Hall of Famer Stan Mikita in 1964-65 to do so, if he can overhaul Swedish buddy Markus Naslund, who's got him by two points (104- 102). Forsberg has two hat tricks this year but only 27 goals. He seems a lot more intrigued by the idea of getting linemate Milan Hejduk 50 goals and possibly the Rocket Richard trophy as the NHL's best scorer than scoring 30 himself.
"Nobody's won without scoring 30 goals in that long a time? Geez, I didn't know that," said Forsberg. "I'd like to get 30, but not the way I played in Los Angeles the other night." Ever the hard marker, he wasn't happy, but he could have had two or three assists if people had put away his passes. "Right now, playing with Milan and Alex, I'm going to get my points, but they probably won't be goals."
Since the NHL was at least 60 games, only three guys -- Mikita, Ted Lindsay and Roy Conacher -- have ever won the Art Ross with fewer than 30 goals on their resume.
So Forsberg's feat is rare stuff. In '97-98, he was second to Jagr with 25 goals and 91 points, 11 behind the Czech winger.
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Three times as many assists as goals, for a guy who can shoot, but only has 160 shots, fewer than everybody in the top 25 in scoring today.
"I'd say Peter's probably assisted on the game-winning goal 15 times this year, maybe 20, including four in a row in overtime," said coach Tony Granato, who loves watching Forsberg set up people.
"Peter really enjoys beating guys (with his stickhandling)," said Oilers defenceman Eric Brewer, who's had to chase the Colorado centre around a few times. "Maybe he feels he makes a better play by passing, but he likes to draw attention to himself and 47 goals later we see Hejduk. And (Alex) Tanguay has really lit up playing with Peter, too. We all know he can shoot, too, but he just takes what he's given."
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He can score, but he's got 486 career assists and only 196 goals, and only twice in seven years has he hit 30 goals.
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Forsberg was just naturally injury-prone. If he played today, as some tend to hypothesize regularly here, he would still face many of the same problems. That's just who he was, and it would not have changed regardless of era. It's one thing to have one recurring injury such as those of Bobby Orr, Eric Lindros, Cam Neely, Paul Kariya or Pavel Bure -- we can wonder what would have been if their one, initial injury had not occurred to set of a chain of unfortunate events and ruin a career; it's another issue entirely to have a body made of glass like Sami Salo and to be naturally prone to injuries. At that point the injuries are just unpreventable.
Here is a list of some of his injuries since 2000:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=816
Not reported on that list are injuries prior to 2000, including these injuries that kept him out of the Avalanche lineup for quite some time -- note the publication dates:2008/05/02 Missed Game 4 of Round Two against the Detroit Red Wings (back injury).
2008/05/01 Groin, day-to-day.
2008/04/29 Missed Game 1 and 2 of Round Two against the Detroit Red Wings (back injury).
2008/04/24 Groin, day-to-day.
2008/04/01 Missed 1 game (groin).
2008/03/30 Groin, day-to-day.
2008/03/24 Missed 2 games (groin).
2008/03/20 Groin, day-to-day.
2008/03/17 Missed 4 games (groin).
2008/03/09 Groin, day-to-day.
2008/02/25 Signed as a free agent by the Colorado Avalanche for the remainder of the 2007-08 season
2007/03/17 Missed 6 games (upper body injury).
2007/03/04 Upper body injury, day-to-day.
2007/02/15 Acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers.
2007/01/11 Missed 4 games (groin).
2007/01/04 Groin, day-to-day.
2006/12/27 Missed 3 games (concussion).
2006/12/19 Concussion, day-to-day.
2006/12/16 Missed 5 games (foot injury/flu).
2006/12/08 Foot injury, day-to-day.
2006/12/02 Flu, day-to-day.
2006/11/24 Missed 1 game (back injury).
2006/11/22 Back injury, day-to-day.
2006/11/15 Missed 2 games (ankle injury).
2006/11/11 Ankle injury, day-to-day.
2006/10/26 Missed 1 game (left wrist injury).
2006/10/20 Left wrsit injury, day-to-day.
2006/10/19 Left wrist injury, left Thursday's game.
2006/04/18 Missed 1 game (groin).
2006/04/16 Groin, day-to-day.
2006/04/15 Missed 4 games (groin).
2006/04/07 Groin, day-to-day.
2006/03/21 Missed 1 game (knee injury).
2006/03/18 Knee injury, day-to-day.
2006/03/01 Missed 8 games (groin).
2006/01/26 Groin, day-to-day.
2006/01/25 Groin, left Wednesday's game.
2006/01/23 Missed 2 games (groin).
2006/01/18 Groin, day-to-day.
2005/12/10 Missed 6 games (strained groin).
2005/11/26 Strained groin, day-to-day.
2005/11/25 Strained groin, left Friday's game.
2005/08/03 Signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers to a two-year contract.
2004/09/18 NHL lockout: Signed with the MoDo Hockey of the Elitserien Hockey League (Sweden).
2004/03/23 Missed 17 games (hip injury).
2004/02/18 Hip injury, day-to-day.
2004/01/24 Missed 4 games (groin).
2004/01/17 Groin, day-to-day.
2003/12/27 Missed 19 games (groin).
2003/11/11 Groin, sidelined indefinitely.
2003/11/06 Missed 3 games (groin).
2003/11/01 Groin, day-to-day.
2003/06/25 Re-signed by the Colorado Avalanche to a one-year contract.
2003/03/20 Missed 1 game (bruised leg).
2003/03/16 Bruised left leg, day-to-day.
2003/03/15 Bruised leg, left Saturday's game.
2002/12/27 Missed 1 game (flu).
2002/12/26 Flu, day-to-day.
2002/12/21 Missed 3 games (concussion).
2002/12/18 Concussion, sidelined indefinitely.
2002/12/14 Neck injury, day-to-day.
2002/12/06 Missed 2 games (groin).
2002/11/29 Groin, day-to-day.
2002/04/29 Missed Game 6 of Round One against Los Angeles (leg injury).
2002/04/27 Leg injury, day-to-day.
2002/04/18 Missed all 82 games of the regular season (ankle/foot injury).
2002/01/10 Ankle surgery, sidelined indefinitely.
2001/09/15 Has decided to take a leave of absence from the game of hockey.
2001/06/09 Missed the last 12 games of the playoffs (spleen surgery).
2001/05/10 Spleen surgery, remainder of the playoffs.
2000/12/03 Missed 8 games (rib injury).
2000/11/13 Rib injury, sidelined indefinitely.
Scouting Report: [Final Edition]
Hickey, Pat. The Gazette [Montreal, Que] 20 Oct 1999: B6.
COLARADO AVALANCHE at CANADIENS
(Molson Centre, 7:30 p.m., TQS, CJAD Radio-800)
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- WHO'S MISSING:... Colorado all-star Peter Forsberg had shoulder surgery in the off-season and won't play before December.
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Forsberg out, Oilers win: [Final Edition]
Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 02 Dec 1999: 9.
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Forsberg suffered a hip pointer when slashed in a game Tuesday night at Vancouver and is listed as day to day. Colorado also was missing Joe Sakic, who is out with a rib cartilage strain.
But Chris Drury said the absence of teammates Sakic and Forsberg couldn't be used as an excuse.
"If they're not playing, we've got to play without them," said Drury, who scored the lone goal for the Avalanche (11-12-3-1).
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Thigh injury slows Forsberg: Doctors work to prevent calcification: [FINAL Edition]
Duhatschek, Eric. The Ottawa Citizen [Ottawa, Ont] 12 Mar 1997: D.14.
DENVER -- Peter Forsberg isn't blaming Todd Simpson, or planning to exact a pound of flesh from the Calgary Flames defenceman, but he admits candidly: ``I don't know if I can make a complete recovery from this.''
The ``this'' Forsberg refers to is the career-threatening thigh injury that resulted from a leg-on-leg collision with Simpson in a Dec. 14 NHL game against the Flames. The injury kept Forsberg out of the Colorado Avalanche lineup for 17 games.
Tonight, Forsberg plays his first game against the Flames since the injury occurred.
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Head Injury or Head Game?; Avs say Forsberg is gone for Game 4 -- but you never know for sure come playoff time; AVS HURTIN'?: [FINAL Edition]
Cole, Cam. Edmonton Journal [Edmonton, Alta] 09 May 1997: D.1.
Overnight, Colorado centre Stephane Yelle's groin pull moved south, to his knee.
So maybe by today, Peter Forsberg's concussion will turn out to be appendicitis.
Hey, it's the Stanley Cup playoffs, where the plain, unvarnished truth gets a fresh coat of brown paint daily and honesty is as scarce as a Joe Sakic one-liner.
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``He's got a headache. It's a first-degree concussion -- not serious, but it's serious enough that as a precaution we're not going to let him play,'' said Crawford.
``We'll see how he comes out of the next few days. I'm not a neurologist, but he's a pretty valuable commodity, and you want to be on the safe side.''
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Denver writers had a field day with Forsberg's knock on the head. Rocky Mountain News columnist Bob Kravitz wrote that the super Swede clearly was concussed because when he was helped back to the bench, he kept insisting he was the lead singer for ABBA.
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Curiously enough, Sakic and Forsberg played together on the same line in the 1998-99 season.[FORSBERG SITS OUT]: [1 Edition]
Toronto Star [Toronto, Ont] 18 Dec 1998: 1.
FORSBERG SITS OUT
Colorado forward Peter Forsberg was pulled from the Avalanche lineup before last night's game against the Canucks due to a groin injury.
Forsberg, who has nine goals and 25 assists, took the pre-game skate but was unable to play. Normally a centre, he had recently been switched to left wing to play beside Joe Sakic, a move that coincided with Colorado's resurgence after a dreadful start to the season.
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Scouting Report: [Final Edition]
The Vancouver Sun [Vancouver, B.C] 23 Feb 1999: E2.
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C Joe Sakic and C/LW Peter Forsberg continue to play together on one of the most dangerous lines in hockey. Rookie RW Milan Hedjuk completes the top line, while C Adam Deadmarsh pivots the second unit between LW Valeri Kamensky and RW Claude Lemieux. Crawford said the biggest difference since he left is Colorado's increased toughness.
When Forsberg struggled in the 1999-2000 season following an injury, we had a look at his psyche when he was not having much success. Whether he struggled that year due to lasting effects from the injury is difficult to determine.Forsberg's career in doubt:: [All But Toronto Edition]
National Post [Don Mills, Ont] 11 Mar 2005: B9 Front.
Peter Forsberg's father and coach thinks his famous son's hockey career may be over after the erstwhile Colorado Avalanche star suffered a serious concussion and a broken collarbone in a Swedish Elite League playoff game.
Yesterday, the younger Forsberg, 31, playing his first game with his father's MoDo team since suffering a hand injury on Jan. 20, needed to be helped off the ice after being cross-checked by Farjestads' Peter Nordstrom.
"He's had his share of concussions, I think it is enough now [to cause him to retire]," the Denver Post quoted MoDo coach Kent Forsberg as saying to Swedish reporters after MoDo lost 5-4 to go down three games to one in the quarter-final series.
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At the very least, the injury puts into question Forsberg's participation with the Swedish national team at the upcoming world championship that begins on April 30.
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He was acquired in 1992 by the Colorado Avalanche franchise when it was still in Quebec as part of the trade that sent the since oft- concussed Eric Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Forsberg, like Lindros, has had an injury-riddled career.
In addition to numerous surgeries on his groin, thigh area and shoulders, he took a leave for the entire 2001-02 to try and heal an ankle injury.
His decision to take the sabbatical came months after he underwent emergency surgery to remove a ruptured spleen and stop internal bleeding.
That surgery, on May 10, 2001, came just hours after he had helped the Avalanche beat Los Angeles in Game 7 of the Western Conference semi-final.
At the time, the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet chronicled Forsberg's injuries since 1996, listing 20 serious ones, including seven head injuries, five of which were concussions.
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We must note, though, that Forsberg was not without his criticisms. In two separate years, his teammates and coach are on record as saying at times he over-handles the puck, trying to do everything -- a trait that seems to be forgotten. The previous article about Forsberg's shooting tendencies highlights Tony Granato's thoughts, while below are comments from Patrick Roy. We also have insight from both articles about his tendency to dive and embellish penalties:
Injuries played a major role in how people viewed Forsberg.Peter the Great: After a regular season that he would just as soon forget, Peter Forsberg of the Avalanche is back with a flash, and determined to make this a spring to remember: [Final Edition]
Kravitz, Bob. Star - Phoenix [Saskatoon, Sask] 24 Apr 2000: C2.
Welcome back, Peter Forsberg. Just one question, buddy: Where have you been all season?... And could you do this, oh, about 12 more times -- at least?... Forsberg's apparent return from hockey's longest hangover appears over. The brilliant but sometimes confounding Swede has been a mystery man all season -- was it post-concussion syndrome? Maybe bad potatoes? -- but just moments into the second period of Game 4 in Phoenix, it was as if a switch had been turned on.
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"Absolutely, that was the best I've seen Peter play for a long time," Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy said after the clinching game in their series Friday. "That was the Peter Forsberg we need. That's the Peter Forsberg we have to have if we're going to have a chance to go a long way."
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Forsberg drew three penalties on the Coyotes, although a number of good souls in the Phoenix dressing room would tell you he should be nicknamed "Floppa," not "Foppa."... The extended Forsberg slump easily could be attributed to the off- season surgery and all the nagging injuries throughout the season. As Foote pointed out, "I had an off-season surgery, and it took me a season and a half to feel right and get back my confidence in both my body and my mind."
But there was the sense there was something else, too. Question was, what was it? What were we to make of reports -- reports he recently shot down -- that he was tiring of the NHL's brutality and contemplating a return to Sweden? What were we to make of the whispers that he had suddenly become more concerned with winning his personal little battles more than the greater wars? And with all the problems with Eric Lindros and his concussion problems, what were we to make of Forsberg's extended funk -- especially when Forsberg refused to use injuries as any kind of explanation.
Roy, for instance, pointed out recently that while viewing film of his own game back in 1995-96, he noticed Forsberg was moving the puck much more quickly and crisply that season. Forsberg, it seemed to him -- and to Forsberg himself -- was holding onto the puck too long this season, trying to make too many fancy plays himself, trying to put his personal little battles in front of the team's effort.
Selfishness? That's not Forsberg's style. This was a kid who came home crying from a game his team lost 8-7 even though he scored all seven goals. And yet, there were times you watched him during this uneven regular season, and he looked -- oh, the blasphemy! -- like a selfish player.
"Of course, the way I'd been playing this year, it was hard not to beat myself up," Forsberg said. "When I struggle, I try to do too much. I put too much pressure on myself."
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To properly formulate an idea of what sort of player he was, we must also analyze his player type and his tendencies, offered to us in the form of comments from his peers:Poolies gamble on next Iginla, but Lecavalier risky business: [Final Edition]
Shi Davidi. Kamloops Daily News [Kamloops, B.C] 03 Oct 2002: A14.
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Jagr should once again be the No. 1 pick in your pool. He remains in a class of his own.
He had some trouble adjusting to Washington's style of play last season but really took off once Adam Oates was dealt. The Capitals are now his team and his reunification with centre Robert Lang, who signed as a free-agent from Pittsburgh, means Jagr will once again win the Art Ross... Sakic is a logical No. 2 pick. Few players are as consistent the Colorado Avalanche's classy centre. Draft him and pencil in 85-95 points.
At No. 3, take Kariya. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks made several moves to ease the burden on Kariya this summer, most notably signing Oates and trading for Petr Sykora. With some legitimate talent around him, Kariya will be back over the 80-point threshold... The allure of a healthy Mario Lemieux will entice many to pick him in the first round. Don't. It's near impossible to resist a player who has averaged 1.97 points per game in his career, but if his back or hip flare up 15 games into the season, it could cost you the pool... There's a good chance he could slip to the late second or early third round in your pool. The risk is more tolerable in that area.
Other strong first-round picks: Colorado Avalanche centre Peter Forsberg; Dallas Stars centre Mike Modano; Los Angeles Kings centre Jason Allison; Pavel Bure, New York Rangers; Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs; and Iginla.
PLAYERS TO WATCH ON POOLIES' DRAFT DAY
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Jaromir Jagr, Washington -- Now that Adam Oates is gone, the Capitals are his team. Being reunited with former linemate Robert Lang also helps.
Joe Sakic, Colorado -- One of the steadiest players in the game. Will see fewer checkers now that Peter Forsberg is back.
Paul Kariya, Anaheim -- Gifted winger showed at Olympics what he can do with talented linemates. Additions of Oates and Petr Sykora should mean big numbers.
Peter Forsberg, Colorado -- His 27 points in the playoffs prove is he back and ready to dominate. Is susceptible to injury.
Mike Modano, Dallas -- One of the NHL's most consistent point producers. After averaging 81 points the past five seasons, he should boost total this year under new coach Dave Tippett.
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Forsberg is 'unbelievable': [Final Edition]
Gallagher, Tony. The Province [Vancouver, B.C] 12 Feb 2003: A53.
Normally it's Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund who are in the business of creating headaches for the opposition as they work on ways to maintain the Canucks' great momentum.
Thursday night, however, the Canucks must also worry about stopping Peter Forsberg, who over the last few games of this Avalanche surge has been so good it's ridiculous.
It's been so rare over the past two seasons that Forsberg's health has allowed him to approach his best. But in the past few weeks something has snapped and he's suddenly not only the old Forsberg, but perhaps even better, even more determined.
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The Avs have been terrified for quite some time now that Forsberg's health problems would incline him to call a premature halt to his NHL career. He's on the final year of his contract as it stands, but it's believed he will sign at least a one-year extension.
"I'll be surprised if he doesn't play at least until the lockout season -- but after that, who knows?" says Mattias Ohlund, the defenceman who gets the job of playing against all the top lines in the league, a particularly challenging task Thursday night. "But he's definitely not going to be one of these guys who plays until he's 35 or further."
"Stopping Forsberg is a lot like trying to stop Bertuzzi, which is to say it isn't going to be easy," says Canucks associate coach Mike Johnston. "Down low, he protects the puck as well as anyone, much the way Todd does. About the only thing you can do when he gets it like that with his back side to you is to ride his hip and play on the defensive side and try not to let him spin off you."
"It's his balance which makes it so tough," says Ohlund. "He's not a big muscle guy, but you can't knock him off his skates. But you do have to play him physical."
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We must ask ourselves whether Peter Forsberg really was as dominant as recent portrayals make him seem.The force is with him:: [National Edition]
Spector, Mark. National Post [Don Mills, Ont] 08 Apr 2003: S2.
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"Maybe he feels he makes a better play by passing, but he likes to draw attention to himself and [50] goals later we see Hejduk," Oilers defenceman Eric Brewer said. "And [Alex] Tanguay has really lit up playing with Peter too. We all know he can shoot ... but he just takes what he's given."
"He draws two or three guys to him when he's got the puck, and he's so strong he can hold people off," marvelled Edmonton winger Ryan Smyth. "There's obviously somebody open when he's drawing people to him, so he passes.
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In the 2002-03 season, while some people here would make it seem Forsberg was the favorite to win the Hart Trophy, this was unclear until the very end of the season, and in fact Markus Naslund was ahead of Forsberg in points all year until the final game of the season -- Forsberg was not pegged to win it from the very start nor was he named the game's best player prior to that season. There were few claims that Forsberg was "the best player in the world" prior to 2003. In 2001, The Hockey News rated him fourth, behind Jaromir Jagr, Joe Sakic, and Mario Lemieux. In 2002, Nick Lidstrom was named the best NHL player in the world.
The fact that Markus Naslund was the players' choice in 2003 says it was not exactly unanimous either that people would have considered Forsberg the best player in the league that year, and that it was quite a divisive subject. Naslund won the Lester B. Pearson Award (now called the Ted Lindsay Award), and The Hockey News' player poll prior to the end of the season also named Markus the player most deserving of MVP honors.
Forsberg makes late push: [Final Edition]
Alaska Highway News [Fort St. John, B.C] 20 Mar 2003: A6 / FRONT.
(CP) -- Peter Forsberg has declared himself fit to return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup, which puts him back in the hunt for the NHL scoring title.
Forsberg, who missed his team's last game with a charleyhorse, has been one of the hottest forwards in the league for weeks, and he has more games left to play than current leader Markus Naslund of the Vancouver Canucks.
Forsberg, Naslund, Joe Thornton, Mario Lemieux and Todd Bertuzzi are the main contenders for the Art Ross Trophy. Forsberg is bidding to become the first Swede, and the first player in Colorado franchise history, to win the scoring title.
Here's a look at the front-runners for the regular-season trophies:
ART ROSS SCORING
Naslund's 93 points had him atop the points parade Wednesday. Boston's Thornton was three behind. Forsberg had 88, and Pittsburgh's Lemieux and Vancouver's Bertuzzi each had 87.
HART MVP
Naslund or Bertuzzi have been equally important in the Canucks' outstanding season, and either would be a good choice for the Hart.
Forsberg, Thornton, Detroit defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom, and goaltenders Martin Brodeur of New Jersey and Ed Belfour of Toronto also should garner support.
...
Naslund, Forsberg and Brodeur in the running for NHL MVP award: [Final Edition]
Beacon, Bill. Trail Times [Trail, B.C] 01 May 2003: 7.
Markus Naslund of the Vancouver Canucks and Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche, who grew up playing against each other in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, were named finalists for the NHL's Hart Trophy on Wednesday.
Naslund and Forsberg, born 10 days apart in July of 1973, will be up against New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur for the award, which goes to the player deemed most valuable to his team.
It was the first Hart Trophy nomination for all three players and Forsberg or Naslund could become the first Swede to ever capture the honour.
...
On Monday, Naslund and Forsberg were named finalists for the Pearson Award -- a second MVP trophy voted on by their fellow players. But the third candidate for the Pearson was Boston Bruins centre Joe Thornton instead of Brodeur.
Naslund happy to have peers' respect: Wins Lester B. Pearson: [National Edition]
O'Connor, Joe. National Post [Don Mills, Ont] 13 June 2003: S6.
TORONTO - Six weeks ago, fresh off a heartbreaking Game 7 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks captain Markus Naslund had the look of the just-captured fugitive. Tired, a little pale and definitely beaten, Naslund appeared in need of some solitary confinement, far away from the probing questions of a hockey-mad Vancouver media.
Yesterday at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, it was a rested, sun-burnished Swede who finally got a chance to flash a winning smile after beating out Peter Forsberg and Joe Thornton for the Lester B. Pearson Award, given out to the player deemed most outstanding by his peers.
Forsberg, who edged out Naslund for the scoring title in the regular season, captured the Hart Trophy, voted on by the writers, later last night. Naslund was the first Canuck to be nominated for the MVP award.
"Even though [the Pearson award] does not get the publicity that the Hart Trophy gets, it is still a neat thing when your peers vote for you," the Vancouver captain said yesterday.
While Naslund was understandably modest in accepting the Pearson award, Todd Bertuzzi didn't need to be subtle in describing his linemate's value.
"You can't fool players out there, guys know who is giving it their all," Bertuzzi said. "This award shows you how much respect Markus has gained among the other players, and that is just outstanding."
...
But intimidation is not an issue for Naslund. Indeed, his 48 goals -- 12 of those game-winners - - and 104 points, make him the player Vancouver opponents dread.
"If you got an ounce of brains, and Markus Naslund has the puck, I think you are afraid," said Brian Burke, the Canucks' general manager.
"We have only got five players left in Vancouver that I inherited, but thank god I inherited him."
Alas, one thing Burke did not inherit was a blank cheque, and a directive from the Vancouver ownership to go out and sign anyone he wanted. And the absence of depth beneath the Naslund-Bertuzzi- Brendan Morrison troika was evident in the final game of the regular season, when the Canucks collapsed against Los Angeles, letting a division title and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs slip away.
...
Forsberg's skills were not particularly transcendent either. Wes Walz remarks here that Todd Bertuzzi's hands are as good as Peter's; in that respect, Forsberg is not exactly spoken of as being on "another level" as some here tend to claim he was:NHL peers like Naslund for MVP: [Final Edition]
Prince George Citizen [Prince George, B.C] 25 Mar 2003: 11.
TORONTO (CP) -- Canucks captain Markus Naslund was named most valuable player in a poll of his NHL peers conducted by the Hockey News.
...
Heading into Monday's games, Naslund led the NHL with 96 points and was second with 44 goals.
"I think that's a great compliment coming from his peers," head coach Marc Crawford said Monday after practice in Vancouver.
"I think Markus is a very deserving candidate for those types of honours," Crawford said. "His leadership and his commitment to the team has been tremendous this year. I think he's growing and understanding just how vital team success is."
Canucks veteran Trevor Linden said he wasn't surprised. "I think throughout the league, finally after three years of being dominate out on the West Coast, he's getting some recognition. It's nice to see."
The Hockey News quoted some of the players who voted in the poll.
"The most dynamic guy I've seen is Markus Naslund," Buffalo centre Curtis Brown told the Hockey News. "He's like a lot of superstars. You can say, 'We've gotta shut this guy down', but he still does what he does."
Bertuzzi worries Wild: [Final Edition]
Alaska Highway News [Fort St. John, B.C] 25 Apr 2003: A6 / FRONT.
VANCOUVER (CP) -- After battling Peter Forsberg for seven games Wes Walz says the Minnesota Wild are going to face an even bigger challenge in trying to shut down the Vancouver Canucks Todd Bertuzzi in their NHL Western Conference semifinal playoffs.
"You've got a power forward in Bertuzzi that probably handles the puck as well as Forsberg and he's fifty pounds heavier than Forsberg," Walz said after the Wild practice Thursday.
"It's going to be like playing against a small linebacker out there."
...
During the Dead Puck Era, it was difficult to decide who the best player in the world was. That title seemed very fluid, and there were players constantly competing with one another for that honor. If Forsberg was the "best player" of the era, it wouldn't have been by much, and it certainly would have been extremely debatable.
This forum has developed a cult of Forsberg, elevating his status and exaggerating his prowess to a level far beyond the reality. He was a good player and a terrific playoff performer, but he was hardly even the best player in the league in his prime.
Would he be "the best player hands down" in this era, as some repeatedly suggest? Probably not. He might be a top five player, but between injuries of all sorts and against other competition, he would not be considered this generation's top player either. He was among the top players during the Dead Puck Era, but he never transcended his peers to any degree nor was he at the top for more than a very brief time in his career.
At his very best, he was fairly neck-and-neck with a few other candidates as well for the Hart and Art Ross trophies, some of whom are less respected here than him. With six games left, Markus Naslund was ahead in the scoring race, and with two games remaining each player had 103 points. Naslund had a goalless drought in his final six games, just five points in that time, and zero points in the final game of the season. Markus lost the Art Ross Trophy and consequently the Hart Trophy by falling to a sub-point-per-game average at the end of the year. Markus still won the Lester B. Pearson Award. Such a fine line determined the difference between Naslund and Forsberg in scoring that year, so the degree to which Forsberg was the top player in 2003 is ridiculously marginal. Forsberg was a very good player, but unlike what some others have suggested here, he would not run away with anything in the current NHL. He would perhaps be a top five player, but he would not stand above his peers.
The degree to which Forsberg as a player has been romanticized is alarming; a portrait of him has been painted that no longer accurately represents who he was and where he stands among other NHL players, past and present. Clearly, this is something that must be corrected.
Works Cited
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Campbell, Ken. "Sundin Ranked 20th Best Player in NHL." Toronto Star: 0. Sep 25 2003. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Cole, Cam. "Head Injury Or Head Game?; Avs Say Forsberg is Gone for Game 4 -- but You Never Know for Sure Come Playoff Time; AVS HURTIN'?" Edmonton Journal: 0. May 09 1997. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Davidi, Shi. "Poolies Gamble on Next Iginla, but Lecavalier Risky Business." Kamloops Daily News: 0. Oct 03 2002. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Duhatschek, Eric. "Thigh Injury Slows Forsberg: Doctors Work to Prevent Calcification." The Ottawa Citizen: 0. Mar 12 1997. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
"Forsberg Isn't nearly the Sniper He could be." The Province: 0. Jan 03 2003. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
"Forsberg Makes Late Push." Alaska Highway News: 0. Mar 20 2003. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
"Forsberg Out, Oilers Win." Prince George Citizen: 9. Dec 02 1999. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
"FORSBERG SITS OUT." Toronto Star: 1. Dec 18 1998. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
"Forsberg's Career in Doubt:" National Post: 0. Mar 11 2005. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Gallagher, Tony. "Forsberg is 'Unbelievable'." The Province: 0. Feb 12 2003. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Hickey, Pat. "Scouting Report." The Gazette: 0. Oct 20 1999. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Kravitz, Bob. "Peter the Great: After a Regular Season that He would just as Soon Forget, Peter Forsberg of the Avalanche is Back with a Flash, and Determined to make this a Spring to Remember." Star - Phoenix: 0. Apr 24 2000. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Matheson, Jim. "Forsberg Takes Pass at Scoring Honours: 30-Plus Goal Man Usually Captures Art Ross Trophy." Calgary Herald: 0. Apr 04 2003. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
O'Connor, Joe. "Naslund Happy to have Peers' Respect: Wins Lester B. Pearson." National Post: 0. Jun 13 2003. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
"Scouting Report." The Vancouver Sun: 0. Feb 23 1999. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
Spector, Mark. "The Force is with Him:" National Post: 0. Apr 08 2003. ProQuest. Web. 19 July 2014 .
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