Foppa Come Home!

Peter Forsberg (Foppa) is coming back to the Colorado Avalanche.  Currently, Yahoo Sports (via Puck Daddy) is reporting the Forsberg's return is being held up by red tape.  As a Bluejackets fan, I am really excited about this development.

I am excited by Foppa's return because we are in a playoff race with Colorado.  I'll get to that in a minute.  I am excited about the red tape holding him up because it makes it unlikely that he will play against us in Columbus Friday night.  I hope this is how it works out.  Because he will be geeked about being back in the NHL, and I can totally see the headline 'Forsberg nets X in first game back!!'.  I don't want him on the ice against us in his first game back.  Think about Juice in his first game back against Edmonton when he had a hat trick.  If we have to play against him, I want it to be his 3rd or 4th game back, when the speed of the game is blowing his mind, the pain is incredible, and he is wondering why this is not at all how he remembered his playing days.  I just don't want him on that first game.

The reason I like Foppa coming back , as a Bluejackets Fan, is that I think this is totally disruptive to the Colorado team.  It sets up all sorts of negative situations for their young players.  I certainly don't see Foppa providing a lot of leadership.  I thought that was what Foote was for?  Just think if you are a young player scratching your way into the NHL, and you get sent down or benched so Foppa can go on his personal glory trip?  Think of how strong the CBJ is looking mentally all of a sudden, based on Arniel's willingness to sit anyone who isn't producing.  He has demonstrated that no one is above the team, and it is producing results.  This is all gone in Colorado.  The coach can tell you to hustle, and give it all for the team, but then this guy is going to waltz in for the last third of the season, without doing ANYTHING, and boom, you're sitting.  Next time the coach gives you the rah, rah, you are gonna be thinking, 'yeah, sure'.  So I see this to be really disruptive to their team chemistry.

Is Foppa all that Colorado needs to take the next step?  I don't think so.  They have some good young talent.  Goodness knows that we have trouble playing against their speed.  But I keep thinking back to when Nashville traded good players to the Flyers to get Foppa for the playoff run, and it was a complete disaster.  Their forward chemistry disappeared, and they were quickly bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

So as a CBJ fan I like this.  I like the determination our team has shown, and I think that we can build this as this playoff race unfolds.  I also like that I think it hurts Colorado's chances, that it will be difficult to muster the will to play at the highest level when the guy across the room is getting coddled.  Its possible that Foppa will return after a two year absence from the NHL to his full glory and power.  But I wouldn't bet a nickel on it happening.