STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — Peter Forsberg is still hoping for a return to the ice, and might make a second comeback attempt with the Swedish national team next month.
Forsberg has been sidelined with a foot and ankle injury since finishing last season with the Nashville Predators, but Sweden coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson said Tuesday that the former NHL MVP might try to play in the LG Hockey Games in Stockholm between Feb. 7-10.
“If he’s well enough, we’ll of course give him a chance,” Gustafsson told The Associated Press.
Forsberg tried to play for Sweden in the Karjala Cup in November but had to pull out after the first practice session on ice. He said his foot still felt unstable in a skate, and was unsure whether he’d ever play again.
However, Gustafsson said he spoke to Forsberg on Monday during a sports gala in Stockholm, and that the star was optimistic about his comeback.
“He said he’s going back on the ice next week. If he recuperates and holds up in the following few weeks we’ll take it from there,” Gustafsson said. “The main thing right now is that he recovers.”
Forsberg told Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter he has been training off the ice for the past month and is still hoping for a return to the NHL, but is unsure what team he would play for. The deadline to sign with a team is Feb. 26.
“I will definitely choose a team that is guaranteed to reach the playoffs, that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup,” Forsberg said.
Forsberg won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche and was the NHL’s MVP in 2003 after scoring 29 goals and adding 77 assists. He also helped lead Sweden to Olympic gold medals in Lillehammer in 1994 and Turin in 2006.
Injuries have plagued him in recent years and he hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since suiting up for 75 games in 2002-03 with the Avalanche.
