A Look Back at a Storied NHL Career

The year is 1994. The location is Lillehammer, Norway. It’s a sudden death shootout in the Olympic hockey finals. With the crowd screaming, Peter Forsberg is at the opposite blue line staring at Canada’s goalie, Corey Hirsch. Forsberg skates in and makes a move towards Hirsch’s right. All of a sudden with one hand he moves the puck to Hirsch’s left and slides the puck just under his glove hand and scores! When Paul Kariya could not answer on Sweden’s goalie Tommy Salo, the gold medal was awarded to Sweden for the first time.

An international hockey star was born.

Although drafted several years earlier at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, 6th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers, Peter Forsberg had yet to play a game in the NHL. He had decided to stay in Sweden and play for his hometown team, MODO Hockey of the Swedish Elite League (SEL), or Elitserien as it was known colloquially.

The pick surprised many in the hockey media, especially in Philadelphia, as Forsberg was ranked as the 25th best player in the draft and predicted to be a solid 2nd-round pick. General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers at the time, Russ Farwell, and the team’s chief European scout both defended the pick and claimed time would prove them right.

At the 1992 entry draft, Forsberg’s rights were traded by the Philadelphia Flyers, in arguably the biggest trade in NHL history – a massive package of five players, two draft picks and $15 million in cash sent to the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for Eric Lindros. Little did Forsberg know at the time, but this would end up being the best possible situation for his NHL career.

Personal Life and Early Playing Career

Peter Forsberg was born July 20th, 1973 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. He began playing hockey at the age of 5 on a team where almost all of the players were at least 3 years older than him.

Forsberg is the son of Kent Forsberg, who would end up coaching Peter for much of his playing career in his homeland. The two teamed up from 1991 to 1994 in MODO, later for the national team in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, then for the 1998 Olympic ice hockey tournament as well as the 1998 World Championship, which Sweden won.

Forsberg made his professional hockey debut during the 1989-1990 season. He began the season with MODO’s junior team but played one game with the SEL senior squad,…