STOCKHOLM (AP-CP) - Colorado Avalanche centre Peter Forsberg said Saturday he will play the entire upcoming season for Swedish club Modo regardless of whether the NHL lockout is resolved.
Forsberg is the latest Swede to return to the Elite League because of the impasse over the NHL's collective bargaining agreement that led owners to lock out the players earlier this week.
Unlike most others, however, the five-time NHL all-star said he will not return to North America even if part of the season is saved.
``It feels best this way,'' Forsberg said at a news conference in his native Ornskoldsvik. ``I've always said that I'll play one more year for Modo Hockey, and now we're here.''
The terms of his one-year contract were not disclosed.
Forsberg, 31, started his career in 1989 playing for Modo's junior teams, before jumping to the Elite League team as a teenager in 1991. His contract with the Avalanche expired this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. He left the window open for returning to the NHL next year or beyond.
``I wouldn't say the circle has been completed,'' Forsberg said. ``We'll see what happens later.''
Forsberg said he'll likely play in the Elite League opener on Tuesday. He'll be joined in Modo by twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks, Mattias Weinhandl of the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Pierre Hedin. Vancouver's Markus Naslund, one of Forsberg's childhood friends, and Niklas Sundstrom of the Montreal Canadiens are also expected to join their former club.
With that lineup, Modo has become one of the favourites to win the Elite League this year.
``Not many in my position are fortunate enough to put the world's best player on their roster,'' Modo sports director Bengt Hedin said. Forsberg's father, Kent Forsberg, will coach the team.
Ornskoldsvik, a seaport with about 31,000, is located halfway between the Swedish capital Stockholm and the Arctic Circle. Two weeks ago, Forsberg announced that he will help finance a new 6,500-seat hockey arena in the city, which will be Modo's new home rink when it is completed in 2006.
In nine NHL seasons, Forsberg has scored 216 goals and recorded 525 assists in 580 regular season games. He helped the Avalanche to Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001. In 1995, Forsberg won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's rookie of the year. In 2003, he won the Art Ross Trophy, given to the top point scorer. He also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP that year.
Forsberg and his fellow Swedes aren't the only NHLers making the jump to Europe. Forwards Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Joe Thornton of the Boston Bruins made their debut with HC Davos of the Swiss Elite League on Friday.
Nash scored once while Thornton added two assists in a 3-2 win over Lugano.
Thornton and Nash plan to play for Davos until there is a resolution to the current NHL lockout.