When Gretzky retired he was asked who was the best player in the league and he said there were several candidates and then only mentioned Forsberg by name and spoke about him for two minutes!
Forsberg's passing gets overlooked, especially in goal-oriented highlight videos (which make him look like a puck hog, focussing in on the times he doesn't make a pass). Petr was a better passer than goal scorer imo.
Yes I remember that. Here's the thing with Forsberg. We've seen enough times he could skate circles around the entire opposing team, deke the goalie out of his jockstrap, or snipe with a wrister, slapper, or backhand. He was not a selfish player though and thought team first. His playmaking skills are topped only by the big three, his shooting percentage and higher goals per game in the playoffs supported the fact that he could score when he wanted to. He lead the playoffs in goals without reaching the finals. He had a hat trick in the 1996 Cup final series. I remember watching him score four goals in a game once and thinking to myself why the hell doesn't he shoot more? The answer is quite simple. He realized there were other things you needed to do to win, such as playing the other two zones of the ice, controlling the play in the offensive zone and looking for the right one instead of just firing random shots from anywhere, much like Ovechkin does today. His youtube highlights do make him look like a puck hog, but if you watch games he looks more like Gretzky, always setting everyone up, then whenever he decided he would score. Well, not literally whenever he decided, but you get the point. It's already known he was one of the smartest players ever, had a deadly all around shot, strength, determination, speed, stickhandling, puck protection like no other, is it really that hard to believe he was a much better goalscorer than his regular season totals indicated?
I stole this from Lexus, but I'm sure he won't mind.
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To get some perspective on how much heart and love of the game Forsberg had.
Colorado Avalanche players went to bed Wednesday filled with happy thoughts of a Game 7 win and the ongoing pursuit of the Stanley Cup, but they awakened to learn that teammate Peter Forsberg had faced a potentially life-threatening ordeal as they slept.
Forsberg had his spleen removed during an emergency 2-hour surgery at Rose Medical Center at 3:15 a.m. Thursday. Doctors performed the operation after Forsberg complained of crippling pain in the left side of his abdomen a couple hours after the Avs beat Los Angeles, 5-1.
Forsberg had suffered a ruptured or lacerated spleen and was suffering from internal bleeding. The Avs said they do not know what hit - or combination of hits - might have caused the injury.
It ends the season of Colorado's leading postseason scorer, but doctors and team officials are optimistic that Forsberg will play hockey again - maybe as early as next season.
Bob Hartley: "In the morning of the 7th game against the Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals, Forsberg waited for me in my office at 8:30. He literally begged me to allow him to return for the final game."
"Without delay, I communicated with my general manager, Pierre Lacroix, and the team's doctors. But they refused to allow Forsberg to play. According to the doctors, Forsberg could've died on the rink if we allowed him to play that day. It was way too risky but we thanked Forsberg for being such a warrior."
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Awards, Honors & Stats
- 2x Stanley Cup
- 2x Olympic Gold Medals
- 2x World Championship Gold Medals
(Enough titles to join the "Triple Gold Club" twice, a feat that only 2 other players in history has accomplished)
- Art Ross Trophy
- Hart Trophy
- Calder Trophy
- Bud Light Plus-Minus Award
- 1995 NHL All-Rookie Team (1st)
- 1998 NHL All-Star Team (1st)
- 1999 NHL All-Star Team (1st)
- 2003 NHL All-Star Team (1st)
- 2x Scoring Titles in the playoffs despite missing the finals. (only player in history to do so)
- 4th All-Time in assists/game. (behind only Gretzky, Lemieux and Orr - 3rd all-time in adjusted assists/game)
- 10th All-Time in points/game. (Minimum 500GP)
- 4th All-Time in adjusted points/game (for comparing players how they performed in different era's to their respective peer's.)
- 3rd All-Time in adjusted points/game in the playoffs, (behind only Gretzky & Lemieux)
- All-Time scoring record in a single World Junior Championship tournament (31 points in only 7 games.)
- Ranked as the best player in the world by "The Hockey News" in 2002-2003 and 2003-2004.
- 6th all-time in +/- in the playoffs, behind only players like Gretzky, Kurri, Gregg, Anderson and Huddy (all of them linemates in the 80's Oilers dynasty years)
- 1st place in +/- in Avalanche franchise history with a +210 rating (Adam Foote 2nd at +129)
Other
- TV-Pucken Champion | (1988-1989)
- J18 SM Gold Medal | (1990-1991)
- J20 SM Gold Medal | (1991-1992)
- U20 WJC Silver Medal | (1991-1992)
- World Championship Gold Medal | (1991-1992)
- Swedish Elite Legue (Elitserien) "Guldpucken" | (1992-1993)
- Swedish Elite Legue (Elitserien) Most Valuable Player - "Guldhjälmen" | (1992-1993)
- J20 SM Gold Medal | (1992-1993)
- Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year | (1992-1993)
- U20 WJC All-Star Team | (1992-1993)
- U20 WJC Best Forward | (1992-1993)
- U20 WJC Most Assists (24) | (1992-1993)
- U20 WJC Most Points (31) | (1992-1993)
- U20 WJC Silver Medal | (1992-1993)
- World Championship Silver Medal | (1992-1993)
- Swedish Elite Legue (Elitserien) Best Player "Guldpucken | (1993-1994)
- Swedish Elite Legue (Elitserien) Most Goals Playoffs (9) | (1993-1994)
- Swedish Elite Legue (Elitserien) Most Valuable Player "Guldhjälmen" | (1993-1994)
- Swedish Elite Legue (Elitserien) SM-silver Medal | (1993-1994)
- NHL Best Swedish Player "Viking Award" | (1995-1996)
- NHL Most Assists Playoffs (12) | 1996-1997
- NHL Best Swedish Player "Viking Award" | 1997-1998
- World Championship All-Star Team | 1997-1998
- World Championship Best Forward | 1997-1998
- World Championship Gold Medal | 1997-1998
- World Championship Most Goals (6) | 1997-1998
- World Championship Most Points (11) | 1997-1998
- NHL Best Swedish Player "Viking Award" | 1998-1999
- NHL First All-Star Team | 1998-1999
- NHL Most Assists Playoffs (16) | 1998-1999
- NHL Most Points Playoffs (24) | 1998-1999
- NHL Most Assists Playoffs (18) | 2001-2002
- NHL Most Goals Playoffs (9) | 2001-2002
- NHL Most Points Playoffs (27) | 2001-2002
- World Championship All-Star Team | 2002-2003
- World Championship Silver Medal | 2002-2003
- World Championship Silver Medal | 2003-2004
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Some quotes from other players/coaches on Forsberg.
"Peter Forsberg is one of the best hockey players that ever played the game, and I actually don't think that anyone has been so good as Peter was during his peak, I've played against him alot, so I should know." -- Vjatjeslav Fetisov (2009)
At the HHOF induction, was asked the question on which player he thinks it's the best he ever played against. -- I would probably say that Forsberg is the best player I ever played against" -- Scott Stevens (2007)
"Some of the stuff he does is just ridiculous. Jaromir Jagr is big and strong like Forsberg, but Jagr doesn't fight back if you play him tough like Forsberg does. "I think he's the toughest player in the game to play against." -- Derian Hatcher (1999)
"For me, an agitator is somebody who controls the emotion of the game," "And Peter definitely controls the emotion of the game for them." "The only thing that stopped Forsberg is that he ran out of gas when they double- and tripleshifted him, and he wasn't able to use his speed, plus his strength," Hitchcock says. "I remember one time he kept the puck in our end for 40, maybe 50 seconds, and we couldn't get the thing away from him. His ability to knock Derian Hatcher on his butt while giving up 40 pounds shows how he can completely control and dominate a game. He's a player with skill and talent who occasionally goes maniacal. Boy, he gets a really strange look in his eyes. It's like the same steely glare that Mark Messier always gets, and you don't want to be anywhere near him." -- Ken Hitchcock (2000)
"Obviously one of the best players in the league the last 15 years, a guy who really controlled the play when he was on the ice, and there's only a handful of guy's in the league at any given era that really, actually controlled the play when the're where on the ice, just his combination of skill, strenght, determinition, and a bit of meanness or alot of meanness actually made him one of the best players to play." -- Steve Yzerman (2006)
"Peter is the best all-around player in the NHL, bar none. He's a competitor. He's the ultimate warrior. His hands are electric. He's one of the smartest players on the ice, and he knows where everybody is. He always makes the right play, and he even makes the plays you don't think he can make. He's so fast on his feet and so powerful. And he's mean. The guy is so talented, he's disgusting to watch." -- Jeremy Roenick (2000)
"He's a coach's dream. The more crucial the time in a game or a series, the tougher he gets. I think sometimes he's able to flip on a switch in his mind and be at a different level than everyone else. " -- Ray Bourque (1999)
Larry Wigge -- "It was late in the Eastern Conference finals, and I was talking about nastiness and skill with Devils right winger Claude Lemieux. He clearly was enjoying the conversation. As I'm talking to the guy some call the most hated player in the NHL, I ask him, "If you could be anyone else in hockey, who would it be?" That's easy. Peter Forsberg," Lemieux says. "I could still be mean and nasty, but if I had all of the skills that he has, I might have won five or six Stanley Cups by now. "I can only dream of skating like Peter. Either that or buy some rocket-powered skates." "(After seeing) a Michael Jordan or a Wayne Gretzky, you think you've seen it all," Lemieux says, "and then Peter shows you something entirely new. "It's the way he creates space, uses space. It's the way he sees the ice. It's the way he picks up speed even after he picks up the puck. And it's the meanness, the nastiness." -- Claude Lemieux (2000)
"He was the most talented guy I ever played with, for just pure raw talent. But more than that, he was a winner and a total gamer, he just wanted to win. He didn't care who scored all the goals or who got all the credit. He just wanted to win, and that's why his teams won as much as they did. We were all lucky to play with him." -- Joe Sakic (2011)
"Peter Forsberg is a fierce competitor, a champion, a global star who has been completely committed to our game. We will miss seeing him on the ice." -- Gary Bettman (2011)
"Peter Forsberg's skills and determination made him one of the most powerful forwards in the NHL during the best years of his career. Hearing of his retirement is sad news but one day every athlete has to come to this decision. He should be very proud of all he accomplished throughout his career." -- Patrick Roy (2011)
"Peter has had a tremendous career. He's been a world class player, one of the superstars of the NHL. I've had the pleasure of playing with him on national teams and the gold-medal-winning Olympic team in Torino. It's sad to see him retire, but he wanted to go out on his own terms and I believe he's doing that. I wish him well in all of his future endeavors." -- Nicklas Lidstrom (2011)
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And to all of you that says Forsberg never scored more than 30 goals in a season he still has more goals per game in the playoffs (when it mattered) then players like:
Sergei Fedorov, Teemu Selanne (both mentioned in the thread) Steve Yzerman, Glenn Anderson, Paul Kariya, Pavel Datsyuk, Adam Deadmarsh, Doug Gilmour, Mike Modano, Brendan Shanahan, Bryan Trottier, Bobby Clarke, Alexander Mogilny, Ted Lindsay, Bobby Orr, Peter Stastny, Luc Robitaille, Milan Hejduk, Jason Spezza, Andy Bathgate, Denis Savard, Michel Goulet, Patrick Marleau, Mats Sundin, Pat LaFontaine, Lanny McDonald, Claude Lemieux, Jeremy Roenick, Stan Mikita, Darryl Sittler, Frank Mahovlich, Mike Gartner, John LeClair, Markus Naslund... just to name a few.
For example, Forsberg has scored 12 goals more then Fedorov in the playoffs despite playing in 33 games less. All this, while Forsberg's primary weapon was his unique playmaking.
Oh, and he scored at that rate even though he's played over 150 playoff games as well. (almost all of them in the dead-puck era.)
He was also on pace for more 30 goals or more 5 times. Had 28 in 65 one year, and 18 in 39 on one foot while the leading goalscorer that year had 41 goals playing the full schedule. There was actually a three way tie, supporting the fact that it was really hard to score goals that year. 5.14 goals per game average that year which is the lowest in the entire dead puck era, also supports the fact that goals were very hard to come by.
