Peter Forsberg had everything to make it big in the NHL. He was a physical player with slick mitts, and he could make plays few others could foresee – and he had an incredible ability to always be in the right place to score goals.
If you’re looking at his resume, it’s easy to understand why he’s widely acknowledged as one of Sweden’s best players ever and, for some years, one of the best in the world. Few people can top two Olympic golds, two World Championships, and two Stanley Cup titles.
During his years in the NHL, Peter Forsberg played against some of the best players in history and some really tough guys. And with how good of a player Forsberg was in mind, players would easily play a bit harder against him. If you’re the top guy on your team, you’re going to get more attention from opponents.
When Forsberg was at his best, he played in an incredible Colorado team.
When Swedish outlet Sportbibeln asked Forsberg on who the toughest guy was to play against, he named Chris Chelios as one of three players. He also mentioned defenseman Derian Hatcher, who retired after 1,045 NHL games played, and with 1,581 penalty minutes.
But the best player Forsberg ever played against wasn’t a defenseman.
It was Mario Lemieux, the two-time Stanley Cup Champion, with the second-highest points per game in NHL history.
”Mario was the best. He had it all,” Forsberg said.
Peter Forsberg is actually in 10th place in the Points per Game standings in NHL history, with 1.25 P/PG.
Mario Lemieux was first before his renowned comeback in the early 00s, but he then fell back to second, and Wayne Gretzky is now first with 1.92 P/GP.
