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Tonight at 6pm, MT former avalanche players, Rob Blake and Peter Forsberg will enter into the Hockey Hall of Fame along with Mike Modano and Dominik Hasek.
When I look at those names, I can't help but think "Hey, that's my childhood right there." The last time the Avalanche hoisted the cup in 2001, they did so with a team that after tonight will have featured five hall-of-famers. I was ten and still had dreams of playing in the NHL myself then. Now, the NHL is full of players my age and the salary cap makes it nearly impossible to boast a line-up of five future-hall-of-famers. Despite the changes in the game, what those hall-of-famers did still shines in the memories of the players that play today.
As an avalanche fan, Peter Forsberg was a very special player to me. Though my skills never allowed me to reach the NHL as a player, Peter Forsberg reminded me every night that being a hockey player was about more than skill. It was about smarts, creativity, toughness, and above all, hard work. If Peter Forsberg wasn't the best hockey player I ever saw, he was far and away the most competitive one. It was that competitiveness that ultimately led to injuries and prevented him from really proving statistically just how good he really was. Nonetheless, Peter Forsberg made me want to be a hockey player and he made me want to work for it. It may not have worked for me, but it certainly did for a generation of NHL players. Cheers to you, Peter and your fellow inductees! Thank you.
What are your memories of Peter Forsberg?
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Hall-of-famer to hall-of-famer.