PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Peter “Foppa” Forsberg was an incredibly good hockey player, but he was often injured.
So often that it pained his parents to watch.
In the end, Forsberg’s mother Gudrun had to step in.
Peter Forsberg, 50, played only 708 games in the NHL, but he still managed to score 249 goals and total 885 points. In fact, he is ninth on the list of highest points per game average. Just another European player throughout history, Peter Statsnyis higher up the list.
Struggling NHL career
Foppa played with power and a winning mentality, which meant he never took it easy. He scored goals and was behind goals, but he always had a physical presence and could deliver massive blows against anyone, at any time.
But Forberg’s style of play also led to several serious injuries, which held him back during his impressive NHL career. He 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.
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In 1999, he missed the first 23 games of the season, and another ten games scattered throughout the season. Foppa missed the entire 2001/2002 regular season, but returned for the playoffs and scored 27 points in 20 games.
Forsberg was a beast; it was thrilling to watch him play, and he was made to play in the NHL. He had what it took to succeed, and fans loved his physical play on the ice. But injuries always held him back.
Heartbreaking words
The Örnsköldsvikson played only 39 games in the 2003/2004 season, 60 games in the 05/06 season, and after trying to play in Modo, he finally gave up. He just couldn’t do it anymore. Foppa retired from hockey in 2011 after playing only a total of 37 games in his final four seasons.
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Peter’s father, Kent Forsberg, told the Denver Post, in a 2014 interview, that it was hard to see his son struggle so much. It even got to the point where his mother said some heartbreaking words to Peter.
– There were a few evenings in those last couple of years when it was just him and me at the arena in Örnsköldsvik, when he was trying to skate and get his ankle to get better. At one point, his mother passed (Gudrun Forsberg) of no more and said: “Peter, stop, it’s not worth it anymore, you have nothing to prove”. But the final decision was always up to Peter, says father Forsberg to the American newspaper.
READ MORE: Peter Forsberg is making a comeback to the ice again – the Swedish icon will now play a historic match in Canada: “It will be fun”
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