Peter Forsberg would face teammate Patrick Roy in the Olympics.
Then he made a daring move in training.
– He is a bit grumpy…, said Foppa.
Peter Forsberg had just broken through with a bang in the NHL in the late 90s, and when he went to Japan to play in the Olympics with Tre Kronor, the hockey world’s eyes were on him. Foppa was completely dominant, and even in the NHL you couldn’t stop the Swede.
Star in the Olympics
He had the physique, the technique and the winning skull to catch just about anyone off guard. The Nagano Olympics would be the tournament where the world’s best hockey players all gathered for the first time in many years, and Sweden had a super team on paper, with Forsberg perhaps the most outstanding player of all.
But it wasn’t just Sweden that had a star-studded team. In Canada, Wayne Gretzky was still playing, and there was also the new superstar Eric Lindros. They also had perhaps the world’s best goalkeeper in Patrick Roy, who also happened to be Peter Forsberg’s teammate. Roy was known as an arch fool and he was truly unique in his way of being. No one dared mess with him – except Foppa then.
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Foppa’s beautiful psyching
Before Peter Forsberg was to go from North America to Japan to play in the tournament, he revealed on Swedish television that he had tried his psychs against his teammate Roy in training – and he was not a big fan of that.
– There have been a few slip-ups, especially those you know well. When you come down to training and come against Roy, it’s clear you put it, and it’s clear you say something then, said Foppa.
Foppa also had a very special trick to mess with Roy a little extra.
– Yesterday I only drove high shots at Roy. I just pushed his head around, all the time, so he was grumpy there. But it belongs, said Foppa, and laughed.
Peter Forsberg scored six points in four games during the Olympics, while Canada won gold.
Watch Foppa tell about the beautiful psyching here (02.20 into the clip):
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