PETER FORSBERG TO JOIN AVS INJURED RESERVE LIST

Forsberg stretching out before a 2008 disabled list appearance.

DENVER - In a highly-anticipated move, the Colorado Avalanche announced today that onetime star Peter Forsberg would be rejoining the team's injured reserve list in 2011, possibly as soon as the team's Monday game in Phoenix.

Once one of the NHL's greatest players and the winner of the 2003 Hart trophy, Forsberg last appeared on Colorado's injured reserve list during the second half of the 2007/08 season. He spent the following three years on the injured reserve list of his hometown Swedish team, MoDo, as well as appearing on the Swedish Olympic team's injured reserve list in 2010.

"The NHL is the greatest injured reserve list in the world," Forsberg said after the announcement, "and I just wanted to give it one more try. If I can't make it on the Avs' injured reserve list, I'm ready to hang up my skates."

Avalanche coach Joe Sacco had this to say: "We are really excited to see what Peter can bring to our injured reserve list. We have a lot of young players on this list, and I'm really hoping that the leadership a great player like Forsberg can bring will really help us, both for this season and down the road."

Before the Avs stepped on the ice for practice on Sunday, Avalanche captain Adam Foote said, "Yeah, I'm definitely excited to have Foppa come back. In the whole history of this game, there aren't many players with his kind of experience on the IR, and that's just invaluable. You can't really underestimate what he can bring to our injured reserve list. I mean, even if he's just day-to-day, he's going to have a huge influence."

Avs forward Peter Mueller, on the Avs' injured reserve list since the preseason with a concussion, was excited to have Forsberg join him on the list. "A guy who spends as much time on the IR as I do can really learn a lot from a veteran like Forsberg," Mueller said. "I can't wait!"