There was resignation in his voice as well as his piercing blue eyes. For the last couple years, since he withdrew from NHL competition because of a chronic foot problem, there are periodic reports that Forsberg might return. He is hockey's Sasquatch, Loch Ness monster, and D.B. Cooper all rolled into one.
"I would say [I've been asked) at least 100 times," Forsberg said, and that has to be a conservative estimate. "I tried to come back in Colorado, but I wasn't playing at the level I want."
Guess what? Forget it. Forsberg said he will finish the season with the Swedish League team he plays with, but that will likely be it for his stellar career.
Indeed, when he looks back with the benefit of hindsight, he can see that his efforts to play with the foot injury were futile.
"I thought I've been done a couple of times, to be honest," Forsberg said. "I've done surgeries most summers. I don't think the foot is ever going to be 100 percent. ... I've tried for six years to get it right. If I knew the script back in 2003, I would have retired right then."
That would have changed the course of recent Flyers' history. After going to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2004 - then losing a year to labor strife - the Flyers came back in 2005 with Stanley Cup aspirations. They had added one of the best players in the world: Peter the Great.
He was a joy to watch when he played. But that perplexing foot issue had him in and out of the lineup, creating uncertainty and disrupting chemistry all season. Then, after all that, Forsberg played for Sweden's gold-medal-winning team at the Turin Olympics.
The Flyers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, a deeply disappointing season. The next year, desperate to retool, the Flyers traded Forsberg to Nashville. He played in just 26 more NHL games.
