Forsberg back to the Avs

[Bobby O'Shea]

Am I the only one that gets excited for the NHL second season. The playoffs are far away but I love this game.

Peter Forsberg is returning to the Avalanche.
Forsberg

Colorado reached an agreement Monday with Forsberg on a contract through the 2007-08 season.

"We're proud to announce to our fans that Peter Forsberg has decided to come back and play with our franchise where he's enjoyed so much success early in his career," Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere said in a statement. "His addition should complement our roster and will bring our team to an even higher competitive level."

The Flyers, Senators, Canucks, Blackhawks and Wild were other teams interested in signing Forsberg.


Forsberg, 34, had until the Feb. 26 trade deadline to sign and be eligible for the playoffs.


"Over the last several months, I have worked extremely hard in order for this to be possible. I am looking forward to putting this jersey on again," Forsberg said in a statement. "I have so many great memories of my playing days in Denver. I'm excited about helping my new teammates and former teammates in the coming weeks, and hopefully I am able to do that in the very near future."

During his nine seasons in Colorado, he won two Stanley Cups (1996, 2001) and won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 2003 when he led the league in scoring with 106 points.

The Avs had a 119-14-19-6 regular-season record in games that Forsberg scored at least one goal.

The seven-time All-Star also helped lead Sweden to Olympic gold medals in Lillehammer in 1994 and Turin in 2006.


Injuries have plagued him in recent years, and he hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since suiting up for 75 games in 2002-03 with the Avalanche.


He is fourth on Colorado's all-time scoring list with 741 points in 580 career games