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It looks as if the much-anticipated Peter Forsberg comeback has hit a major bump in the road. Multiple Swedish hockey sources said Monday that Forsberg left the first day of practice for Sweden's national team after about an hour, saying his problematic ankle wasn't holding up.
Forsberg was scheduled to compete for Sweden in the Karjala Cup, a four-team international tournament that was supposed to give him an indication of whether he could play hockey again at the highest level.
Forsberg has been hedging about a possible return to the NHL, until he could test his chronically unstable ankles in competition. Apparently, he didn't pass his own personal test and afterwards apologized to everybody who'd bought tickets for the tournament to see him play. He said he realized he'd "made a fool of himself" and simply acknowledged: "I just can't do it."
Forsberg has been reluctant to discuss his plans for the upcoming season until he gave himself a chance to properly evaluate his ankle, but said Monday: "It doesn't look good. I have to say, I've never been so close to saying my career is over right now." Indications are that before Forsberg makes anything official, he will consult with doctors in North America to see if there's a medical issue that can be overcome with treatment.
However, for any of the dozen or so NHL teams thinking they could enlist Forsberg's services later in the season, his latest setback makes a possible return to action unlikely.
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