Between the team Hall of Fame inductions for John LeClair and Eric Lindros on Nov. 20, and Eric Desjardins on Feb. 19, it seems as if one of the small, yet underlying themes of the Flyers' 2014-15 campaign is celebrating greats who have suited up for the organization.
That theme will continue on Tuesday night, when the Flyers welcome Peter Forsberg to Wells Fargo Center for their 7 p.m. game against Tampa Bay.
Forsberg, 41, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last month, after a 14-season career that saw him earn substantial accolades. He scored 249 goals and 885 points in 708 games, won the Calder Trophy in 1994-95 (the same lockout-shortened year that Lindros earned the Hart Memorial Trophy), contributed to two Stanley Cup-winning Colorado teams, played in seven All-Star Games, and earned a spot in the prestigious Triple Gold Club (along with two IIHF World Championship titles and two Olympic Gold Medals, as part of Team Sweden).
Of those 708 games, 100 were spent in the Orange and Black over parts of two seasons. Forsberg was initially drafted sixth-overall by the Flyers out of Modo HK in 1991, but was traded to Quebec (along with Kerry Huffman, Steve Duchesne, Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, $15 million in cash and future considerations — later revealed to be Chris Simon and the Flyers' first-round draft pick in 1994) a year later for Lindros, who refused to suit up and play for the Nordiques. Of course, the Eric Lindros Era then began in Philadelphia, and Flyers fans remember the rest.
Forsberg "returned" to the City of Brotherly Love on Aug. 3, 2005, when he signed a ballyhooed two-year, $11.5 million contract. He enjoyed success centering Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble on the Orange and Black's top scoring line — the 'Deuces Wild' line. A 19-goal and 75-point campaign in 60 games led to him earning the captaincy at the start of 2006-07 — the 15th Flyer to wear the "C" — after offseason surgery on his right ankle and foot. He was expected to be sidelined until Jan. 2007 and undergo similar surgery on his left foot, but that was deemed unnecessary.
Unfortunately for fans of the Winged P, the team strugged mightily and endured its worst season to date — ultimately finishing in the league's basement with a 22-48-12 record, while missing the playoffs for the first time since 1994. He posted 11 goals and 40 points in 40 games, but struggled to find a skate boot that would comfortably fit his injured foot. On Feb. 15, 2007, he was dealt to Nashville and was no longer Flyers property — again. Ultimately, his tenure with the team lasted 18 months and 100 games.
After 2006-07, 'Foppa' was able to play just 11 NHL games until 2010-11, while returning to Sweden in-between for a 26-game stint with Modo over the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. He currently works as Modo's assistant GM, and was recently instrumental in signing former teammate Donald Brashear as an enforcer to protect young player (and touted Toronto prospect) William Nylander.
Peter Forsberg was a domineering force throughout his 14-season career, with a style of play that former Flyers GM Russ Farwell (who drafted and traded him) described as "more Saskatchewan than Saskatchewan guys." His tenure in Philadelphia provided its fair share of pleasant memories, and his sweater still sporadically appears throughout the Wells Fargo Center concourse during Flyers home games. When healthy, his Flyers career was nothing short of sensational to watch, and it remains a shame that both he and the organization couldn't hoist a third Stanley Cup.
Welcome back, Foppa.
Rob Riches is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61.
