While Peter Forsberg is not yet on Denver soil, the Avalanche star’s application process for a working visa in Vancouver, British Columbia, is “going very well”, an Avs official said this afternoon.
“The major steps of the process have been done,” Avalanche vice president of team services, Jean Martineau said. “It is going very well.”
Forsberg, re-signed by the Avs Monday, is applying for a P-1 visa at the United States Consulate in Vancouver. P-1 visas are the ones commonly given to athletes and entertainers who wish to work temporarily in the U.S. Such visas typically last from 1-3 years, and Forsberg did not have a current working P-1 when the Avs signed him.
As for when Forsberg can board a plan for Denver and rejoin his teammates, Martineau said the team can’t say exactly yet.
“We don’t want to say it might be tonight, it might be Friday, when we still don’t know exactly,” Martineau said.
Martineau said a Denver radio station’s report that Forsberg was already ruled out from playing Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings at the Pepsi Center were “erroneous.”
Martineau said Forsberg skated today in Vancouver, for the second day in a row. He skated at a suburban rink, after skating more than an hour Wednesday at General Motors with a few other Avs players.
The Avs have a practice slated for Friday at 10:30 a.m., and it was hoped Forsberg would be there. If he can’t, odds of him playing against the Kings are probably slim, making Tuesday’s home contest against the Vancouver Canucks the next opportunity for him to play – assuming his paperwork is done by then.
