Peter Forsberg only played 708 games in the NHL, but he still managed to score 249 goals and 885 points. In fact, he ranks nine at all-time points per game, and only one European player in history, Peter Statsny, is better at him in that category.
Peter Forsberg played with power and a winning mentality, which meant he never took it easy. He scored goals and set up goals, but he always brought a physical presence and could deliver a massive hit against anyone at any time.
But his style of play also led to several severe injuries, which held him back during his impressive NHL career. Forsberg won the Stanley Cup in his first full NHL season, scoring 116 points. The following year, he missed 14 regular season games and three playoff games.
In 1999, he missed the first 23 games of the season, and then another ten spread out during the season. He missed the entire 2001-02 regular season but returned to the playoffs and had 27 points in 20 games.
Forsberg was a beast; he was a thrill to watch, and he was made to play in the NHL. He had everything to make it, and fans loved his physical play on the ice. But injuries always got a hold of him.
He only played 39 games in the 2003-04 season, 60 in the 2005-06 season, and after attempting to play with MODO in Sweden, he eventually gave up. He just couldn’t do it anymore. He retired in 2011 after only playing 37 games in his four last seasons.
Peter’s father, Kent Forsberg, told the Denver Post in an interview from 2014 that it was tough to see his son struggle. It even got to the point that his mom said some heartbreaking words to Peter.
“There were some nights in that last couple years when it was just me and him in the hockey arena in (Ornskoldsvik, Sweden), with him trying to skate and get the ankle better,” Kent Forsberg said. ”At one point, his mom (Gudrun) just couldn’t take it anymore and said, ‘Peter, stop, it’s not worth it anymore, you don’t have anything to prove.’ But the final decision was always up to Peter.”
