Foppa Debut - Welcome Home

Posted 12:18 PM ET | Comments 4

Peter Forsberg returned to the Avalanche lineup last night, MUCH to the delight of the home crowd who rose to their feet in appreciation of all he has done and in hopes of what he will do in the future.

There was a lot of hype leading up to this game, mainly because we were all waiting to hear if he when he would actually play his first game for the Avs. Peter himself wanted everyone to understand that he will not be a miracle-maker, at least not yet.

When he stepped onto the ice, anyone who has fallen-in-love-with, watched, or studied this guy could tell you he was nervous and in the first period, it showed. I would describe him as tentative, probably more due to nerves and emotion rather than his foot/ankle. With each touch of the puck, the jubilant crowd cheered him on. He didn't look out-of-place, but he certainly was not the "miracle-maker" everyone hoped he would be from the get-go.

In the second I can only find one word to describe how he looked: relieved. I think Peter had so much going on, physically, emotionally, etc that after "climbing the mountain" to get back to playing, he was simply relieved to be over his first hurdle.

I thought he began settling into the lineup and into the game in the third. He looked much more in control and apart from a few errant passes, looked steady - not dominant by any means, but steady.

It was great to see his "compete-level" (as Jim Hughson put it) was still there, going up against Willie Mitchell all night, not to mention Big-Mouth Burrows, and not shying away from hitting or at least, "being physical". I think he will settle in over the next few games and begin to get that touch back that we all know he has.

Regardless of how he plays and how people will judge him (good or bad), I for one am thankful and elated that the man called Foppa is back in burgundy! Welcome home Peter!!

Filed Under: Forsberg Foppa Avs

*Ducks4Cup*

March 5, 2008 12:39 PM ET | Delete
FOPPA!!! He looked nervous, but I thought he had a decent game yesterday consdering that it was his first game back with the Avs. Stepping onto that ice must brought back so many wonderful memories. Anyways, I hope Foppa and the Avs make the playoffs this year because they have such a potent offense. What a treat it will be to see the revival of the Colorado-Detroit rivalry.

PJ76

March 5, 2008 12:55 PM ET | Delete
Wish Foppa all the best hope you guys make the playoffs. Great to see him back even if it's not with Philly the Avs will always be his home.

avsnumber1fan

March 5, 2008 2:00 PM ET | Delete
Ducks4cup summed it up perefectly.

lawboy

March 5, 2008 2:53 PM ET | Delete
I was at the game last night. Two observations:1. There was more excitement in the building than any other time this year including opening night--all attributed to Forsberg and Foote being in the line up.2. Even though Forsberg may not be the "miracle-maker," it was amazing to see how much room and respect the Canucks gave him. That attention gave Sakic and Hejduk more open space than I've seen in a long time. Just his presence changed the way the 'Nucks defended and opened up the ice for everyone else--including Stasny's line. Just a great game to attend!

You must be logged in to leave a comment.