Pinch me.  I must be dreaming.  For the Avalanche just announced that my all-time favorite hockey player is returning to the NHL.

That’s right.  Peter Forsberg has just signed with the Colorado Avalanche for the remainder of the year.

How many times have I sat in my office looking at the almost life-size adhesive image of him that clings to the wall behind my door, wishing I could see him just one more time?   How many times have I sighed wistfully as I reach across my McFarlane action figure of the infamous number 21 to turn on my computer?

Anyone who has ever watched the game of hockey respects the talent he holds.  To this day he is still probably the most skilled, all-around player ever to step on the ice.  And we are lucky we get to see him one more time.

Peter was an icon here in Colorado.  The newspapers were always abuzz about him. They profiled his house up in Genesee, reported on the rare girlfriend he might have at the time and even covered his move to his downtown penthouse condo.  If you was lucky, you might see him and his bff Dan Hinote at local country bar Stampede or at a Cherry Creek restaurant, an experience that you could brag to your friends about for months.

I’ll never forget the day I met Peter and had my picture taken with him.  My husband and I were down in the family waiting area with Cody McCormick’s dad, waiting for him to come out of the Avalanche locker room after a game against the Rangers.  Cody’s dad was playful nudging me to ask players like Joe Sakic for a picture.  I was far too embarrassed to ask a player I had never met for a picture.  It just wasn’t something I did.  Until Peter emerged.  I wanted to ask but I was frozen, unable to move.  Luckily, my shy husband took the initiative and asked Peter for a picture with me.

I still have that picture — Peter leaning in and smiling big.  I think I’ve shown it to almost everyone I know. Yes, I’m a Peter Forsberg fangirl and proud of it!

Now, in just over a week if all goes well, I’ll be spending Valentines Day with my husband AND Peter — at the Colorado Avalanche/Calgary Flames game here in Denver.  What more could a girl ask for?

Photos: Peter Forsberg by Goddess Sasha. Copyright 2008. Peter Forsberg and Goddess Sasha by Chris McCormick.  Copyright 2003.  All Rights Reserved.

Much like Nelson Muntz (of “The Simpsons” fame), I had to let out a tiny giggle at the NHL bringing down the banhammer on Ilya Kovalchuk’s new contract. I know that there have been a few others like this in the last few season; but I asked the same question of them that I did of this one … Does our pal Kovalchoo really need a deal that would last until his oldest child graduates college and would be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of the Gross National Product of a small African nation? (For more puzzling questions, see fellow Goddess Kaatiya’s piece: Kovy’s Contact Rejected — Why?)

To be honest, I am not a Devils fan in the least. Not only am I a Pens fan and still have a bit of a grudge against Scott Stevens for laying out my boy Paulie K in Game 6 of the 2003 Finals; but the beating of my Ducks in that series make them not too friendly around these parts.

However, Ilya has always fascinated me; and after he was traded to New Jersey, I was actually kind of happy for him. Things in Atlanta have never quite gotten off the ground, so with Los Diablos, Mr. Kovalchoo was finally going to a club that had the same level of talent to match his own. And that is a problem with this contract; they might not be able to keep all of it for as long as they would like and at the price tags that talent would be asking for.

Anyway, I thought I would leave you with a few pictures from today’s press conference in New Jersey.

Photos:  Ilya Kovalchuk by Getty Images and The Associated Press.

File this under “things that make you go ‘hmmm…’”

It’s quite intriguing that the National Hockey League has decided to put its foot down with the Ilya Kovalchuk contract. There are several contracts similar to his, though not as long. I doubt they have a legal leg to stand on. Even if the New Jersey Devils and Kovalchuk himself knows this contract was written in such a way as to circumvent the Collective Bargaining Agreement, how can they prove intent? Is it that he’ll be 44 years old when the contract expires and, basically, nobody (let’s say 0.005 percent of players) plays past 40-ish?

Even so, how do you prove intent to circumvent? And even if you do prove it, if the current CBA has that loophole, how do you retroactively close it? And where do you draw the line? Fifteen years was OK for the Islanders’ Rick DiPietro. Marian Hossa signed a big front-loaded contract. Robert Luongo is on a monster deal. Where is the line? Why bring the hammer down at this point?

I am very curious as to how the league thinks it can get away with this randomness — either you can or you can’t do something under a contract. And, while I am not a lawyer, if those other contracts were not in violation, how can this one be?

The Kovalchuk drama continues!  He always was a diva — this somehow fits.  (No really … don’t you think?)

What are your thoughts?

Photo:  Ilya Kovalchuk by Getty Images.

One of the best Russian goalies in the NHL — Evgeni Nabokov — has signed a 4-year contract with SKA (Saint Petersburg), Sovsport.ru reports.

On Wednesday we sorted out the last small difficulties, and Zhenya [a nickname for Evgeni in Russian] signed the contract with the SKA. The agreement was e-mailed to him. Now Zhenya is going to set up him home problems — he should close his house in San Jose, to sell all the unneeded stuff… He moves to Russia with his whole family. The sum of his contract suits him. And KHL is satisfied – to have such a player means to raise the prestige of the league in the world, — said Nabby’s agent Sergei Isayev.

SKA refuses to name the contract sum.  And the club denies that this agreement with Nabokov will prevent them from fighting for Ilya Kovalchuk.

Photo:  Evgeni Nabokov from Sovsport.ru

Amidst the July 1st free agent signings was one that was of particular interest to me.  That’s because it involves my friend and former Avalanche player Dan Hinote. Well, he isn’t really a friend.  I mean, we don’t keep in touch or anything, but Dan has a way of making everyone he meets feel like his friend.

I met Dan a little more than three years ago.  We were both rehabbing at the same physical therapy practice: He after yet another shoulder surgery and me after surgery for a tri-malleor fracture of my ankle. By then, he was a member of the St. Louis Blues, but living in Denver in the off-season, he chose to rehab close to home.

Honestly, I hadn’t been all that star-struck.  After all, one of Denver’s “Most Eligible Bachelors” (as voted by a local magazine) wasn’t what I considered a dreamboat, nor was he someone that did much for me on the ice.  Yet after spending many hours working out, rehabbing and chatting with him, I realized what all the fuss was about.

Dan is one of the most genuine guys I have ever met.  He takes great interest in everyone he meets.  He never forgets anyone’s name.  He asked me a lot of questions about speed skating, about my competitions, my injuries.  We had a common friend on the Avalanche, and he had nothing but glowing things to say about him.  Every time I saw him, he’d come sit on the treatment table next to me and ask me how I was doing.  Elderly women would come in and Dan would remember all of their names and give them a big hug.

He was humble, and talked about how lucky he was to have broken in when he did — when it was still a trapping, clutch-and-grab league because he was just scrappy, and guys like him were no longer being drafted or given a shot in the NHL.

He was in love.  We got to hear all about Amy, his then-girlfriend (now wife).  He talked about taking her to the Sushi Den for her birthday.  He told us all about his trip to Las Vegas with the guys where he would relax and decide if he really was going to pop the big question.  When he got engaged, we all knew the next day.

It wasn’t hard to see why he was so well loved in Denver.  He was very social, being seen out and about the city, having a great time with whoever was willing.  Back then, you might see him hanging out at the famous country bar Stampede with Peter Forsberg, partying downtown or dining with John-Michael Liles in the ritzy Cherry Creek area where he lived.  He became a media darling, a fan favorite, and women and men alike just fell in love with him.

Then in 2006, he signed with St. Louis, but no one felt ill feelings towards him.  You just couldn’t.  He was cheered when he returned with his new team to play the Avs.  People still followed his social life and his lavish wedding back in Colorado was an item of great interest.  And, of course, we all cheered when he reunited with Peter Forsberg this year to play for Modo of Sweden’s Elitserien.

Today, we again applauded Dan when we heard he would become an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets. I can’t think of a better guy for the team.  He’s smart. Very smart.  After all, very few get accepted to West Point.  More importantly however, is his personality.

Much like Ted Nolan, Dan cares about people.  With a young, budding team like the Blue Jackets, he will be the perfect man to nurture these kids, to instill confidence in them and to give them advice.  He will be a shoulder to cry on, a confidante and a great role model.  He will quickly learn what makes each player tick and will know how to get the most out of them.  For now, he’s only an assistant, but I predict he is going to have more of an impact on this team than anyone is expecting.

Just ask anyone in Colorado.  Because we all know him well.

He’s our friend.

Photo: Dan Hinote by Goddess Sasha. Copyright 2008-2010. All Rights Reserved.

Attention all ye graybeards (in sports terms, that’s anyone over the age of, say, 34): Let it be known that one of your own is back. That’s right, Dominik Hasek, at the downright ancient age of 45 is strapping on ye olde pads and returning to hockey.

Well, sort of.

Most NHL fans will recall his retirement from the league in 2008 shortly after helping the Detroit Red Wings return to Stanley Cup glory.

So that’s it for him right?

Well, he did sit out a year, doing whatever it is quirky retired goalies do in their Golden Years. He came out of retirement last year playing for HC Moeller Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga — the team where he got his pro career started. Now — drum roll please — he’s taking on the Kontinental Hockey League. He made it official today at a presser in Russia, donning yet another red-and-white jersey, this time the crimson “C” of HC Spartak of the KHL.

Claiming he wants a new challenge, here comes “The Dominator” (again), set to steamroll — or at least use his patented flip-flopping, rollicking style — against teams in the KHL. I can’t wait to see how he’ll hold up against the tougher competition of the KHL. I plan to check it out myself when Goddess Sasha and I hit Moscow again in November.

Can he still play? I can’t attest to it personally, but Spartak must see something in his play that made the risk of taking an old fellow like Hasek worthwhile. And he did, after all, backstop his Czech league team to the Extraliga championship this year. Perhaps he can do the same for Spartak. If so, could another NHL comeback be far behind?

If so, I daresay all of the over-the-hill, over-30, “old-timers” will be cheering for him. Hasek joins a handful of other like-really-old players we can’t help but marvel at — we marvel at their ability and will to continue on, as well as their apparent pride and unwillingness to let the kids have a shot. On the other hand, if you’ve still got it, baby, flaunt it. All the geezers who woulda, coulda, shoulda will be watching.

Photo: Dominik Hasek by Alexey Sazonov/AFP/Getty Images.

I try to be kind in my posts. I really do. But I can’t hold back on commenting on the insane decision both Adam Foote and the Colorado Avalanche made. Yesterday, the Avs signed Footer to a one year, $1 million deal.

Nothing too personal Adam, but it’s time to retire. The Avalanche have a plethora over overpaid defenseman and given that this was probably the weakest part of their game this year (oh the ugliness had we not had Anderson in net) it seems like starting fresh might be the way to go — especially with the number of young defensemen in the system.

That extra $500,000 or so would look awful tasty on a talented, skating free agent this summer. Yes, the Avs have plenty of cap room, but to land a couple of high-scoring forwards that extra might just come in handy.

Foote has definitely lost a step the past couple of seasons and his decision making has been questionable. As I said — nothing personal. We sat next to his wife and kids all last season and they were quite nice. I’m just surprised given his declining performance (and his wife’s apparent boredom as she could be seen texting on her BlackBerry throughout the games) that he’d sign for another year.

A friend suggested that perhaps the signing was more about a roof over Matt Duchene’s head (he lived at the Foote residence all last year) and keeping a close eye on the young starling. Given the nature of this signing, it’s as good an explanation as any.

Photo:  Adam Foote by Goddess Sasha. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.

The Thrashers signed a guy I think Goddess Sasha will approve of: Peter Mannino of her alma mater, DU. Yay!

Peter Mannino in his DU days.

He’s Baaack!

Jason Krog skates for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
The Thrash also picked up Jason Krog, he of the wild mane. He was with the Thrashers’ organization for a while and kicked butt for the Chicago Wolves. Of course, he’s been with many NHL organizations for a little while. He has so much potential — come on Krog, you can do it!

Photos: Mannino by Goddess Sasha; Krog by Goddess Kaat. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.