AEV-Forum

" hat geschrieben:1. Alfredsson, Daniel 14 12 6 18 8
2. Andersson, Niklas 14 10 3 13 4
3. Kallio, Tomi 14 7 6 13 6
4. Johnson, Jonas 14 2 10 12 8
5. Påhlsson, Samuel 14 4 7 11 24
6. Axelsson, Per-Johan 14 1 10 11 18
7. Bäckman, Christian 14 2 7 9 10
8. Lundqvist, Joel 13 2 5 7 57
9. Tolsa, Jari 14 1 6 7 14
10. Salo, Sami 14 1 6 7 2
11. Kahnberg, Magnus 13 5 1 6 4
12. Sundin, Ronnie 14 0 4 4 16
13. Esbjörs, Jonas 14 1 1 2 6
14. Alavaara, Jan-Axel 14 1 1 2 18
15. Koivisto, Tom 14 1 1 2 14
16. Tukio, Arto 13 0 2 2 20
17. Plüss, Martin 13 1 0 1 8
18. Högardh, Peter 11 0 1 1 2
19. Demén-Willaume, Richard 1 0 0 0 0
20. Karlsson, Jens 6 0 0 0 2
21. Eriksson, Loui 12 0 0 0 0
22. Lundqvist, Henrik 14 0 0 0 0
23. Niemi, Antti-Jussi 14 0 0 0 41
24. Sandberg, Mikael 14 0 0 0 0

Torhüter MIP SOG GA SVS SA% PIM
Sandberg, Mikael .. .. .. .. .. ..
Lundqvist, Henrik 791:36 386 15 371 96,11 0

Since mid-October, playing with Färjestad of the Swedish Elite League during the NHL lockout, Canadiens all-star defenceman Sheldon Souray has spoken with The Gazette’s Dave Stubbs to share his experiences for his weekly Postcard From Sweden.

Färjestad lost in five games to Frölunda in the best-of-seven
championship series, but even Monday’s final match had a silver lining. Frölunda knew that Souray, a Métis, loved their Indian-chief logo, so they presented him with a jersey, customized with his name and number, during the post-game handshake.
Souray was back in Montreal on Thursday, en route to Calgary for Team Canada’s world championship training camp. Today he delivers his 23rd and final postcard, reflecting on six memorable months played far from home. :

In October, I spoke of embarking on a new adventure. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about going to a new country, not knowing the culture or the city or how to speak the language. I felt like I was going to elementary school again – you’re a little excited to be away from home, but you don’t really want to go that bad.

But it wasn’t overwhelming, not like for the guys who went to Russia and found bad planes and missed paycheques. Everything in Sweden was professional, smooth, and it was friendly and fun away from the rink.

We had our year-end party on Tuesday and our goalie, Marty Gerber,
showed off his newly shaved head. I guess I had the wrong setting on my beard trimmer when he asked me for a clip.

Our president, Sture Emanuelsson, stepped out of the comfort of his own language and told the NHL guys, in English, “You’re always welcome here. No matter what happens next year, you’re part of our team. We don’t want to lose anybody.”

I thought, “These people really appreciate us.” They’re not like people who are friendly because you’re a hockey player and they might get something out of it. They said things because they really meant them.

Our fans never booed us when we were down 5-1. They never booed you if you were in a slump. They stood and cheered every minute of every game.
They weren’t getting autographs because they wanted to put them on eBay. You’d sign a tiny scrap of paper for someone.

I remember growing up in Edmonton, around the Oilers. The biggest kick I ever got was seeing these players and meeting them. I think Swedes felt like I did as a kid. They just appreciated you.

Now, I feel a little like I’ve been traded. When I came to Montreal from New Jersey, I left behind friends on the Devils, and in the city and front office. But then, and now, I see it as moving on.

I’m looking forward to getting back to my normal life, but I’m glad I
had this experience. It was an education, and you get a little cultured.
It was taking two steps forward and one step back – we didn’t play in
the NHL, but there were other things to enjoy: the simplicity of Swedish life, that the fans enjoyed me.

They didn’t know that much about me when I arrived, but for some reason they really took a liking to me. Maybe I earned their respect by playing hard for them. I couldn’t believe their support.

Some guys who went over didn’t like Sweden, some didn’t last long. But I never felt like I could quit on these people. They made it easy not to.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank Färjestad fans for accepting me and making me feel a part of it.

I’ve brought home some nice things, starting with my Swedish cell phone, and the keys to my car and apartment, all packed by accident. I’ll trade them with my GM, Håkan Loob, at the Worlds for what I left behind – a few sweaters, a paycheque and the baby seat in the car.

The gift of the Frölunda jersey was a classy gesture that blew me away. I kept my Färjestad sweaters, home and road, and I think I’ll give my mom the yellow road jersey, as a thank-you for her having given me that Cabbage Patch doll for Christmas when I was a kid.

If the NHL doesn’t get fixed by the fall, going back to Färjestad might
be my first choice. We’ll see what happens, and what options I might
have. I just don’t know if the money is worth missing my family.

Being away from them was the hardest thing, for sure. As an adult, you still miss your mom and dad. I missed my wife, Angelica, and my daughter, Valentina. Even my dogs.

I missed some time with Vali, but I’m going to have the rest of my life with her. If I didn’t take advantage of some of the opportunities I have now, I’d regret it forever. And what I’ve done since I was 5 is play hockey.

I dreamed it, maybe, but I never thought I’d one day be in the NHL or on Team Canada. Many people told me along the way, “Think of something else to do if hockey doesn’t work out.” The more I heard that as a kid, the more I said, “Well, why won’t it work out?” Those years helped shape my character.

I had so much time in Sweden to think, “What would I do if I wasn’t in the NHL?” I’ve been through two years of that, all of 2002-03 with my (injured) wrist, and then this year. The uncertainty is still hanging
over it.

More than anything, the past six months have made me appreciate what I have.

I grew as a man more with my injury than with the lockout. You say,
“What now? I have a baby and a wife.” That’s when I really learned about myself.

This year, things were so easy for me. I had no health problems at all, none with my wrist or knee (injured in February 2004). That’s another positive thing, a year without injury.

My game never changed. I played hard and got my nose dirty, but I had to develop my skills, improve my skating, become a better player. That’s going to help me. I’m not nervous now about the big ice at Worlds.

I’m ready to do whatever they want. If they want me to fill water
bottles for three weeks, I’ll do it. Play 10 minutes? Be the seventh
defenceman? The power play? Sure, whatever they want.

Through the day in Montreal, I’ve not thought that the NHL playoffs
would have been going this weekend. The only emptiness I feel is that Färjestad didn’t win the Swedish championship. We had a chance.

I put the NHL behind me this year, but to hear people today saying how they missed hockey, you realize how big it is here.

I’ve got other good things going on in my life now, being part of Team Canada. I’m going to Calgary, where I’ll see my family. Ang and Vali will be there, as will my mom and my uncles, maybe 25 or 30 family in all.

The game has given me so much. It’s the reason I’ve been able to travel to some great places and accomplish the things I have, and even to have a chance to write these postcards, which people in Montreal were talking to me about today.

My Färjestad teammates read them on the team’s Web site, and when they weren’t bugging me about them, they were asking me what I’d be saying next.

Five or 10 years from now, I think I’ll still have some friends in
Sweden, people I’ll stay in contact with maybe the rest of my life. I
won’t just remember one or two things about this season, but how great everything was.

I hope some of these feelings have reached you the past six months. It’s been a chapter in my life I’ll open again and again, something I’ll always enjoy.

" hat geschrieben:[size=20px]Forsberg wants to return to Denver[/size]

4/19/2005

Peter Forsberg says he's looking forward to playing in the NHL next season with the Colorado Avalanche.

"That's his mind-set at the moment," Forsberg's agent Don Baizley tells the Denver Post. "and I don't think he's looking to get out of Denver. He loves Denver."

Under the old collective bargaining agreement, Forsberg was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent when he turns 32 this summer. While the two sides have yet to reach a new agreement, Baizley expects Forsberg will still be eligible for free agency but that doesn't mean he is looking to leave.

"I haven't seen a proposal that would increase (the age requirement)," Baizley tells the newspaper. "

An Avalanche spokesperson said the team would not comment on any player contract issues until there is a new agreement in place.

Another issue which might prevent Forsberg's return to Denver is a salary cap. Currently, the Avalanche have committed more than $30-million to 11 players for next season. With talk of a cap at $42.5-million per team, that doesn't leave a lot of room for the team to sign Forsberg and fill out the remainder of the roster.

Forsberg elected to play this past year with MoDo of the Swedish league regardless of how CBA talks went between the NHL and the union. However, he suffered a wrist injury and concussion at the end of the season, which will prevent him from playing in the upcoming world hockey championship. Baizley says Forsberg has recovered from the effects of the concussion and the wrist injury is almost healed as well.

Posted 21/4/2005: fi Tony Salmelainen (F)
From ca Edmonton Road Runners (AHL) to fi HIFK Helsinki
Added By: Tom Henriksson, Status: Confirmed