ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK. There are those who thinks that ”there Forsberg is visible overall”. And who shares the opinion is - Peter Forsberg. Hockey professional, superstar and multi-millionaire is used to the lime-light but wishes to be anonymous. "Not a day goes past without Peter Forsberg in the paper" he says. A lot of water has run under the bridge to Domsjö since Peter Forsberg moved to the USA to play in the world's best hockey league. Then – a young man passionate for ice hockey who sometimes appeared puppyish on the ice and nervous in dealings with the media. Now – a self-assured man who still has passion for ice hockey, but who addresses all international press in English which he never did before, appearing cool and worldly. Another difference is that ”Foppa” has become a little more reserved about those he doesn't know, and is more watchful with the media and draws clear boundaries to which subjects shall be discussed. "I've become a little older and a little wiser." "And a little wiser," he adds. "The biggest pain in the ass I dealt with was when I sat on the plane down to Stockholm and saw in an evening newspaper that ”Peter Forsberg threw out the handicapped children”, an article that talked about how Tvillingstaskolan shall move from the golf course. "That was so unfair, so wrongly-slanted," says Foppa. But to re-tie it to the introduction, he has long accepted that he is a public person, that his hockey skills made him an idol and that many want to read about him. "When I was in the 7th (grade) I was the shyest in the class. Now I stand in front of TV-cameras and chat. It's a little difficult to understand, but I've began to feel a little more comfortable taking that role. So comfortable that he took an hour of his time with ÖA to talk mostly about golf, love of Ö-vik, money and why he keeps his private life so close.
LIFE IN ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK
"It's always plesant to come home to Ö-vik. I enjoy the open landscape," says Foppa, standing on a rock in Skeppsmaln with a grand view of the open waters in front of him. "But I'm not a boat-person." Someday in the future, are you going to settle down in Ö-vik? "My promise stands that I will play for Modo again. Of course I'll live here in the summers, that's for sure. My future is in Ö-vik." "I will have my base in Ö-vik, but if I will live here year-round, that's difficult to answer right now." So when the hockey carrier is over, will you work at Veckefjärdens golf club in the summers? "That's the idea. That I can see."
MONEY
"It's a (way of) security, but I'm not sitting here counting it." Are you lavish? "No, but I can afford things for myself. None months of the year, I only play hockey, so when I'm off I can do a lot. I want to see Tottenham in London, so I can go there." But you don't look for anything for your sake? "No, I'm not buying a car just because it's cool."
JEALOUSY
"Definitely, one can hear a lot if one goes to the pub, but one takes it with a grain of salt." "But I've not well noticed anyone jealous. I don't get a lot of begging-mail and such, either." You get no significant offers to participate in one or the other? "Of that type, one throws away." Therefore we have started the background for needy kids in Västernorrland and it feels unbelievably nervous.
PRIVATE LIFE
"I don't talk about it, no." I know, but why not? "It's my thing to hide behind. The private life is sacred. It's enough that I'm a public person through ice hockey." Is that why you're so sporadic with things like, for example, sitting on TV-sofas? I was on "Late Night with Luuk” and ”Bingolotto”. That's it. It's not my style to do all there is possible. ”At home"-reporting, then? "I'm never going to let you see me at home. I won't take anyone in the house that takes pictures or writes. I find it uninteresting." The older you become, the more distance you take. True? "Yeah, it becomes more and more important each and every year."
RELATIONSHIPS
"I won't gladly talk about it." You're young, rich and famous. Is it difficult for you to have a relationship? "No, it's not. You know right away when you meet the right person. It's the same thing with friends. One only knows who one can rely on." Okay, do you have a girlfriend? "Girlfriend? That I do. We've known each other for a good while. A newspaper wrote that you are married. Are ya? – (laughs) No, absolutely not.
FRIENDS
"My social life is extremely important. Friends mean a lot to me, just like many others. "When I'm home for the summers, I'm with my friends a lot. "We have a golf competition every summer, we're a group that's held together for a while, and it's the most fun I have the entire year."
GOLF PLAY
"It's just pure amusement, but golf will also be a big part of my life in the future." Do you have the same competition-concentration in golf as you do when you play hockey? "No, no. It's only fun to play, to relax with. There's nothing better than hitting up on the first tee and finishing up in four hours."
NEW ARENA
"Very cool that it'll be(come), but I'm part of the deal as a hockey player." To build such an arena is a pure question of money. –"It's a little too easy for us that deal with ice hockey to just say yeah, definitely, we want to have an arena. Those who aren't involved in hockey definitely have another opinion." But do you think that would be a good investment? "I think it would be good for the district, a venture for the future. But that's despite the cost-questions from the community." Have you professionals gotten an inquiry to go in and sponser the project? –"No, and we probably won't be asked to, either. It's not the way to go."
