Avalanche's Forsberg undergoes surgery; out for playoffs
May 11, 2001
By Aaron J. Lopez/Associated Press
DENVER -- Within hours of helping the Colorado Avalanche advance to the Western Conference finals, Peter Forsberg walked into his favorite postgame hangout intent on enjoying a subdued celebration.
As he strode through the trendy red-brick restaurant, Forsberg spotted Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix and team owner Stan Kroenke and told them he had a strange feeling in his stomach.
"I don't know what I've got," the six-time All-Star told Lacroix. "I've got too much pain in my stomach. Maybe I drank too much water after the game."
About 30 minutes later, Forsberg's late-night plans changed drastically. He was heading for the emergency room, where tests revealed a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding that required surgery.
While Colorado's Stanley Cup bid marches on, Forsberg's postseason is finished following a two-hour operation Thursday morning to remove his spleen. He was listed in good condition and should be able to return next season.
"You certainly can function perfectly fine without a spleen," team doctor David Mellman said. "I don't think there should be any restrictions based on the surgery he had."
Mellman said Forsberg's spleen was ruptured sometime during Colorado's 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night, but it was unclear when.
Forsberg showed no symptoms before the game and continued his strong postseason with an assist on Chris Drury's tie-breaking goal in the third period. After the game, Forsberg met with reporters and spoke of looking forward to the conference finals against the St. Louis Blues.
"It was pretty shocking," Avs captain Joe Sakic said. "It's definitely a tough loss. On the good side for Peter, he's going to recover fully and be back next year."
Coach Bob Hartley learned of Forsberg's injury during an early morning call from Lacroix. Because the two often play practical jokes, Hartley was left waiting for the punch line.
"Pierre was the rooster in my back yard," he said. "For the first five or 10 seconds, I was hoping he would say, �I'm calling you for something else. I'm joking.' Unfortunately, it wasn't a joke."
Although he has an enviable scoring and passing touch, Forsberg is also known for his ability to deliver a hard hit and keep defenders off the puck. In 11 playoff games this year, he led the Avs in scoring with four goals and 10 assists and delivered 32 hits.
"It's devastating, because he's a tough guy to replace," defenseman Ray Bourque said. "I don't think you can ever replace a guy like Peter."
While Colorado prepares to open its best-of-seven series against St. Louis on Saturday, Forsberg will begin a recovery expected to take several months.
Mellman said Forsberg must have regular immunizations to compensate for the work of the spleen, which is part of the body's immune system.
The fist-sized organ, in the upper abdomen, filters foreign objects from blood and helps regulate blood to the liver. It can also manufacture blood cells.
"It's a slow recovery from abdominal surgery," Mellman said. "There's a lot of pain. Beyond that, it's just getting his strength back, eating and getting back to daily activities."
The Avalanche have grown accustomed to playing without key players.
Bourque missed the first two games of the playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks with a strained back, and Sakic missed two games and most of a third against Los Angeles with a bruised right shoulder.
"I'm glad everything is OK for Peter's health," goalie Patrick Roy said. "It doesn't change anything because Peter is not there. I still think about winning. I think it would be wrong if I think otherwise.
"It's bad news for our team, let's not kid ourselves, but there's a lot of character in this room and a lot of talent. Hopefully we'll find our way."
Forsberg's recovery likely to keep him off ice
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
DENVER - Colorado Avalanche center Peter Forsberg, 11 days removed from having his spleen taken out, has only a long-shot hope of returning to the ice in the Stanley Cup Finals.
"After the surgery, we thought there is absolutely no chance he's going to play," said Avalanche team physician David Mellman. "Today, we are saying the chances are very, very minimal."
Mellman's assessment came at Forsberg's first meeting with the media since the May 10 emergency surgery. What hasn't changed is the uncertainty over how the injury occurred. Forsberg was in severe pain while at a restaurant after the Avalanche had defeated the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 and was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a ruptured spleen.
"It's a possibility that it could have happened before Game 7," Forsberg said. "I have no clue exactly. I had a little mark (in that area of his body) after Game 5, but it was nothing major."
Mellman echoed Forsberg's words, saying it was possible he might have suffered a "small bleed" in the spleen but had no noticeable symptoms.
"Later on during that game he (could have) sustained a blow or twisted or moved to reopen a bleed," Mellman said. "What probably happened was that Peter's bleeding progressed, and the bleeding accumulated in his abdomen. He became more symptomatic in terms of pain."
Forsberg said the pain was the worst he had ever experienced.
"It started out on the left side under my ribs and went out to the shoulder," he said. "I could barely move my arm there after a while."
Mellman said spleen ruptures are not a common sports injury and are seen more often in automobile accidents.
Other former NHL players have come back from spleen removals, including Carey Wilson, Tom Laidlaw and Fredrik Olausson.
Laidlaw, now a player agent, had his spleen removed in 1986 after experiencing pain during an NHL game. His spleen came out in midseason, and he missed 6 weeks.
"Maybe I could have played in 4 weeks, but there was no rush to get back like there would be in the playoffs," Laidlaw said.
Could he see Forsberg coming back if the Finals are extended to Game 5 or 6, giving Forsberg about 4 weeks off?
"He is a great athlete, and he is probably in better shape than I was," Laidlaw said. "But conditioning would be the issue. They cut into your stomach muscles in the surgery, and the stomach muscles are key to a hockey player because it takes the strain off your back. I'm sure he really can't do anything right now to help his conditioning."
Forsberg summoned team officials as soon as the pain began, and he said he never was fearful for his life.
"The care in the emergency room was excellent," Mellman said. "His life was really not in danger. Things went very smoothly. His recovery after the surgery was excellent."
Mellman said the only risk of playing after a spleen removal comes from the possibility of infections.
"It's very minimal risk and Peter received vaccinations to help prevent these," he said. "There is no medication that he would need to play hockey."
Mellman and Forsberg were quizzed repeatedly about Forsberg's chances of playing.
"I was told right off the bat I was not going to play in the playoffs," Forsberg said. "It's going to take a while to heal. And I don't think it's going to be healed."
Sports: Avs give up on Forsberg comeback
By AARON J. LOPEZ
DENVER - Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg said Monday he expects to miss the rest of the playoffs despite an encouraging recovery from emergency surgery less than two weeks ago.
"I got told right off the bat when we did the surgery I was not going to play in the playoffs," he said. "It's going to take a while to heal and I don't think it's going to be a possibility."
Forsberg, a six-time All-Star and Swedish Olympian, had surgery to remove his ruptured spleen and stop internal bleeding early on May 10, hours after Colorado defeated the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
He was released from the hospital a few days later and was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. Doctors said Monday that the situation had changed only slightly.
"Certainly after surgery, we thought there is absolutely no chance he's going to play," Avalanche team doctor David Mellman said. "Today we're saying the chances are very, very minimal. He's done great in terms of returning to life, but it's a huge step going back to hockey."
He said Forsberg should have no problem returning next season.
Without Forsberg, the Avs took a 3-1 series lead over the St. Louis Blues in the conference finals. He has been watching the games on television and planned to attend Game 5 on Monday night.
"The good thing is we're up 3-1," he said. "It would be tougher if we were down 3-1. The team is playing great right now, so that makes it so much easier to watch the game."
It remains a mystery when Forsberg sustained the hit that ruptured his spleen and doctors say they probably never will know.
Forsberg said he noticed a mark near his ribs after Game 5 against Los Angeles on May 4 but did not feel any pain until dining at a downtown restaurant at about 1 a.m. May 10.
Forsberg said the pain was worse than anything he had felt throughout his career.
"We had a couple tough hours there," he said. "I was not really scared because you've got so many doctors around telling you it's going to be fine."
Forsberg, considered one of the league's toughest players to knock off the puck, was Colorado's best player in the postseason. He had a game-winning goal in overtime during the team's first-round sweep of Vancouver and consistently created scoring chances even when the Avalanche went through a 183-minute scoreless span against Los Angeles.
"He does everything real well. He can control a hockey game," Colorado captain Joe Sakic said. "That's where you miss him most."
In Forsberg's absence, the Avs have received unexpected scoring production from their third and fourth lines and maintained the momentum gained from their Game 7 victory over the Kings.
"Peter's the type of guy you miss because he controls the game, he controls the puck," defenseman Adam Foote said. "But there's more guys playing than if Peter was here, and they have to roll lines more. We're getting waves. Everyone's picking up their game. I think that's a positive."
Mellman said Forsberg would have to have regular immunizations to compensate for the work of the spleen, which is part of the body's immune system.
The fist-sized organ, in the upper abdomen, filters foreign objects from blood and helps regulate blood to the liver. It can also manufacture blood cells.
Pierre Lacroix, the Avalanche general manager, said Forsberg "was all white and in pain" when he saw him at a restaurant after the game.
Lacroix said he, Forsberg, Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke and other players and team officials were at the restaurant when Forsberg first complained of discomfort.
He said Forsberg told him, "I don't know what I've got. I've got a pain in my stomach."
About 20 minutes later, when the pain became worse, Forsberg was taken to Rose Medical Center in Denver, where a CAT scan revealed spleen damage and internal bleeding.
Doctors decided to operate immediately, Mellman said. The surgery lasted two hours.
Mellman said recovery would take months. "It's a slow recovery from abdominal surgery," he said. "It's a lot of pain. Other than that, he just has to get his strength back and return to normal daily activities."
Forsberg ready for Game 1 against Wings
By Adam Thompson Denver Post Sports Writer
Saturday, May 18, 2002 - DETROIT - He may not have been swearing on a stack of Bibles at the time, but Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg did indicate the health of his wrist would not be a major factor as his team opens the Western Conference finals today against the Detroit Red Wings.
Asked how he felt Friday, Forsberg replied, "My hand is good."
After scoring what turned out to be the only goal in the Avs' 1-0 Game 7 victory Wednesday over the San Jose Sharks in the conference semifinals, Forsberg took a hard slash from Teemu Selanne. That marked the latest of several shots he has absorbed in these playoffs and throughout much of his career.
Forsberg also was asked if his intensity had anything to do with his time spent in the training room. He missed the last two rounds of last year's playoffs after losing his spleen from punishing hits against the Los Angeles Kings, and this year missed the entire regular season.
"Of course I had a few injuries throughout my career, but I think it's the way hockey is played nowadays," he said. "You have to play physical every game and every shift. You can't take a shift off."
Forsberg's postseason success - he leads the NHL with 19 points through two rounds - has prompted other players to joke that they should start skipping the regular season, too.
But Colorado general manager Pierre Lacroix suggested there was nothing funny about Forsberg's absence, and admitted the thought of his star player retiring early because of burnout crossed his mind.
"In a situation like that, it's pretty obvious that you're afraid of the worse scenario all the time," Lacroix said. "But to say that I was in a frame of mind that he would never come back, that would be exaggerating. On the other hand, he had a concussion and he had surgery over the previous couple of years. It's been pretty tough physically for him.
"When you're in a situation like he was, automatically it's going to get you not depressed, but you're going to feel like you need a break from the business you're in. And that's what he made me understand. He said, "Let me heal.' And by his action, I think it was pretty obvious he knew deeply what he was doing. But obviously, today it confirms that he was right."
5/13/01 - Hartley provides answers, more
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
Commanding a dressing room that includes future Hall of Famers Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake, Colorado Avalanche coach Bob Hartley says, "I think I have an easy job."
Given the pressures that come with being the NHL's No. 1 team, that obviously isn't true. But Hartley probably doesn't get enough credit for his ease in the spotlight. His answers ranged from glib to insightful in Sunday's meeting with the media.
Asked about the team's performances in the past, he playfully retorted to the questioner: "I was waiting for a question like this from you. You're always in the past. You're still looking at Bill Buckner in '86 instead of enjoying Pedro Martinez in 2001."
When he was asked about whether the team was still trying to win a Cup for the 41-year-old Bourque, he said: "I'm sure Ray would share it with us."
When asked about the challenge of playing without the injured Forsberg, he said: "You can look at excuses or you can look at solutions. It's pretty clear in our case that we were looking for solutions."
One of his solutions in dealing with a team of stars is to be more democratic than most coaches.
"When you are coaching in the NHL," he said, "if you don't go to the locker room to get advice or feedback, then I think you're totally off."
Forsberg recovering
Avs coaches visited Forsberg, still recovering from the removal of his spleen, on Saturday.
"He was awake at 7 a.m., and it is very surprising to see Peter awake at 7 a.m.," Hartley said. "He looked great. We asked him to still be a part of us."
"Trust me, Peter is going to be around the team. Peter never turns down a free meal."