Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog was confirmed to be in the lineup and participated in his first NHL game in nearly three years on Wednesday evening against the Dallas Stars.
He had strongly hinted at his participation in Game 3 via a video shared by the team on social media approximately an hour before the match commenced. In the video, Landeskog stated, “I`ll have my jersey on tonight. Excited to be part of the guys.”
About two hours prior to the game, the team also shared an image of Landeskog`s jersey hanging in his locker. This appearance marks Landeskog`s return to the NHL since June 26, 2022, when the Avalanche defeated Tampa Bay to secure the Stanley Cup. His extended absence was attributed to a chronic right knee injury.
This game ended Landeskog`s 1,032-day stretch without playing for the Avalanche. According to NHL Stats, he is now the fifth player in the league`s history (among those with a minimum of 700 career games) to return to their team after a break of 1,000 days or more. The last player to accomplish this milestone was the former Avalanche forward and Hall of Famer, Peter Forsberg.
Tristan Blackwood