Tale of Two Comebacks

Monday was the biggest day for players coming back to the NHL. First, it was the announcement of Peter Forsberg trying to do it all again with the Colorado Avalanche in a Brett Favre kind of fashion. The second was Ray Emery coming back after signing with the Anaheim Ducks. Both stories have to do with guys coming back from career-threatening injuries, but why does Emery's signing make people feel better than the Forsberg one??

The obvious answer is that Forsberg has done this before and will probably do it again until someone tells him....enough. But it's a story where there's a guy who is a champion and still wants to get out there and prove that he's got something left. The winning spirit is something to be admired, but if he flops again (not like diving) will even the Avalanche give him a chance again?? It's a matter of time before the teams just forget about the past accomplishments and have to cut anchor and go away.

With Emery, though-- it's a story of an up-and-down guy. He came through the ranks of the Ottawa Senators organization, he led them to a Cup Final. Then, once he got the extension from the team-- things went south and the team bought him out. He went to Russia, played decent-- but got into a trouble off the ice, which soured him in Russia. He was able to get back with the Flyers before he went down to a serious injury-- threatening his career....only at age 28.

When I look at it, the fact remains that we always feel bad for guy's who have their career's cut short by injury and not care about guys who are older coming back, mostly because they have actually achieved all they wanted. Granted, Forsberg has been through this rodeo before and he's someone who people are tired of hearing about because the prolonged process he has put everyone through; but it shouldn't discount his plight. He's Cinderella, trying to find the boot that fits him so he can play again. And if he can become effective again, I think it's a good story in the end and makes his plight all the better, because he could actually do what he set out to.

With Emery, it's a good story for him coming back from a serious injury, but at the same time...I don't know if I'm completely sold on it just yet. He'll definitely help the depth of the Ducks, but is there going to be a time where he blows up and becomes more a distraction than what's needed?? The Ducks are bouncing back nicely from early season struggles and if he were to disrupt something there-- is it really that good a story?? Maybe this injury has opened his eyes on dealing with difficult professional situations, but if not-- it could be interesting to see how it is.

In any case, Emery starts on his road back with the Ducks AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, while Forsberg seems to be plying his time and will return straight to the Avs line-up, seeing as he has a no-trade and no-movement clause in the pro-rated deal. Will either of these stories have a happy ending or will the script stay the same?? If nothing else, it'll be a fun sub-plot to look at as the season winds down.

Lemieux To Return.....No, Not That One....

It seems that Cladue Lemieux's bid at an NHL return may come to fruition as he signed a try-out contract with the San Jose Sharks. That's right, much like Barry Melrose, Lemieux is trying to come back to a league, even though the game's speed and skill set may have passed him by a few years ago.

While the Sharks GM, Doug Wilson, is good friends with Lemieux, what's the point behind it?? Sure, Lemieux played with the Sharks' Asian satellite team, the China Sharks, collecting one assist in two games; but the last time Lemieux even played at a high level was in the '03-'04 season when he played in Switzerland for seven games. I can't see why Lemieux would be such an asset for the Sharks right now, especially considering that the Sharks are the best team in the league right now and really don't need any help from any outside force.

And while Lemieux could bring some veteran leadership and experience to the team-- the real question is will he be effective on the ice at all. He's trained with the Arizona Sundogs of Central League to get into shape again, but at 43 years of age-- how well will his conditioning be to finish out the last 50-60 games plus playoffs??

Lemieux really has nothing to prove. He's done it all and really doesn't need to show what he can and can't do on the ice. He has two Cup rings, a Conn Smythe trophy, and one of the most infamous checks in the game which sparked a great rivalry in the late 90s. Why, of all times, would Lemieux want to come back after playing his last NHL game some five years ago??

Best of luck to Lemieux in his comeback and here's hoping he can prove....whatever the hell he's trying to prove, really. I don't know if anything will come to it, but if Lemieux can play in a NHL game this season, it could be the most random (and maybe unnecessary) return the NHL has had.