Swedish sensation Peter Forsberg played 19 seasons as a professional hockey player, internationally and in the NHL, and spent the bulk of his years with the Avalanche, helping it to a pair of Stanley Cup titles (1996, 2001). Forsberg also won (among many other things) the Calder Trophy in 1995 and both the Art Ross and Hart Memorial trophies in 2003, and earned two Olympic gold medals while playing on the Swedish national team.
In February of 2011, after enduring a slew of injuries over his career, Forsberg announced his retirement from hockey. Eight months later, his No. 21 jersey was hung on the Pepsi Center rafters. On Monday, Forsberg will join fellow hockey greats Rob Blake, Dominik Hasek, Mike Modano and Bill McCreary in being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In the wake of his honor, we looked back at some of his finest moments on the ice. |
Forsberg posted five points in a 7-5 win at Dallas. Stars coach Ken Hitchcock still says it is on the best games he ever saw a player have.
Forsberg slipped a puck between the pads of Dominik Hasek to beat Detroit in Game 5 at Joe Louis Arena, to give Colorado a 3-2 series lead. Detroit won the final two games, though.
On the final day of the regular season, Forsberg posted three points against St. Louis to beat out fellow Swede Markus Naslund for the NHL scoring title, 106-104 (scroll to about the 7-minute mark in the clip below). The Avs also won a division title on the final day over Vancouver.
With Detroit’s Igor Larionov practically riding on his back, Forsberg scored the late third-period goal that sealed Colorado’s series-clinching win over the two-time defending Cup champion Red Wings.
Forsberg still holds the scoring record at Bridgestone Arena. In a Jan. 1, 2003, game against the Predators, Forsberg put up six points (one goal, five assists). No clip was found of his memorable game, but , pulled from the Post’s archives.
Forsberg recorded six points in a 2003 win over the Predators in Nashville. (David Sherman, Getty Images)
On a March night in 1999, the Avs were down 5-0 late in the second period to goalie Sean Burke and the Florida Panthers. When the final horn sounded, the Avs had a 7-5 win, and Forsberg scored three goals and assisted on three others.
Despite not playing at all in the regular season, Forsberg led all NHL scorers with 27 points in 20 postseason games. Below is one of those: his assist to Rob Blake against San Jose the ’02 Western semifinals.
In just seven games, Forsberg posted 31 points for Sweden, which lost to Canada in the title game. That remains the WJC scoring record.
In the first period, Forsberg scored three goals on Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, the final goal coming after a puck hit the back glass, bounced off the top of the net and was batted in out of midair.
Forsberg’s shootout winner against Canada’s Corey Hirsch gave Sweden the gold medal at the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. The goal would be immortalized on a Swedish postage stamp.
