Peter Forsberg was again the big focus for fans and media at Avalanche practice Tuesday, his fourth time on the ice with the team since beginning an NHL comeback attempt.
But remaining the ever-mysterious Swede, Forsberg gave few clues as to whether this whole comeback thing is going to actually work or not.
“I’m not trying to think about anything yet. I’m just going to keep on skating, keep on working and see where I’m at,” Forsberg said. “I’ve only had two (regular team) practices. They were quick, they were fast and, like I said, I think it’s going to take at least a couple more days to adjust. We’ll see what happens after a couple more practices.”
Something of a complication to Forsberg’s comeback, however, is that the Avs won’t practice as a team beginning Thursday through Sunday, because of the NHL all-star break. Forsberg can skate with the team Wednesday morning as part of its game-day preparations, but NHL Players Association bylaws prohibit players from participating in official team activities during the break.
So, Forsberg’s plans are to stay in the Denver area and skate on his own.
“I’ve got to skate by myself. Hopefully I can find some ice somewhere. But it’s been a couple of hard practices. Maybe it’s good for me to rest a couple days too,” said Forsberg, who has 885 points in 706 career NHL games. “It was a little easier today than (the first practice). I got to catch my breath a little between drills. But like I said, whether it’s between days and (weeks), I’ve got to see how long it takes. I’m not going to say whether it’s positive or not yet; it’s too early to say anything. I’ve just got to keep on working.”
Avalanche coach Joe Sacco was brief with his comments on Forsberg.
“He’s the only one who can tell you where he feels physically, where he’s at from that standpoint,” Sacco said. “He’s skating well. He looked good out there today.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
