Gabriel Landeskog makes a successful return to the ice, may play for Colorado Eagles again Saturday
Colorado Avalanche fans have been waiting for captain Gabriel Landeskog's comeback for 1,020 days. And on Friday night, he finally made his return. It was up in Loveland for the Colorado Eagles, the minor league team of the Avs.
Landeskog was named a starter for the game against the Henderson Silver Knights, and when he was introduced the full house of fans gave a cheer that might have been the loudest ever heard at Blue Federal Credit Union Arena.
Sidelined with a devastating knee injury since the Avs won the Stanley Cup nearly three years ago, Landeskog said "it was fun" to be back.
He didn't score, but there was certainly some action. On his third shift, Landeskog got his stick a little bit high on a check and was called for a penalty. Later in the first period, there was a fight among some players and Landeskog could be seen taking a shot at a Silver Knights player.
In the second period he had a good look at a possible goal but the goalie stopped it. The Eagles wound up with a 2-0 win.
All in all, it was a successful return to the ice for the captain, and it's giving him a chance to review his game film for the first time in quite a while.
"This is a step in the process, and obviously this was the first (game) and then we'll see what it looks like tomorrow and then we'll see what the schedule looks like moving forward," he said. "I've just tried to stack the days and put the work in and here we are, so I think maybe if I had scored a goal tonight it would have made it a little more special but nonetheless I feel good and I think that's a good thing."
The Eagles play the Silver Knights again on Saturday in Loveland, and Landeskog may play again.
Landeskog says his expectations are always high, but he said he's realistic. When asked about playing for the Avalanche in the playoffs -- they will face the Dallas Stars in Round 1 -- he said he's not sure. But don't count out the possibility, considering how well he said he felt on Friday.
