After a three-year hiatus, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to the ice on Wednesday night.
The left winger last played in a game on June 26, 2022, but had missed the past two seasons because of a chronically injured right knee. He underwent multiple surgeries during this span, including a cartilage transplant in May 2023.
When he was announced in the starting lineup before Game 3 of Colorado's first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars, Avalanche fans erupted.
Surprisingly, Landeskog didn't shy away from contact. Shortly after the puck dropped, he hit Stars right winger Mikko Rantanen, his former teammate. Rantanen may forgive him for that collision.
"It's great," Rantanen said of Landeskog's return, via NHL.com's Nick Costonika. "As a friend, I'm very happy for him. I was happy to see him play a couple games in the AHL. Well deserved, because the journey he's been through, I don't think anybody else, at least in hockey, has gone through what he's gone through. It's remarkable he's coming back."
After all his setbacks, it would be understandable if he wanted to retire. His legacy already seems set. In 11 seasons with the Avalanche, he has won a Stanley Cup and been selected to one All-Star Game.
After all his hard work, though, how could he quit?
"I found myself thinking about this moment a lot over the past three years, and now that it's here, it's reversed," Landeskog told Altitude Sports' Kyle Keefe before the game. "I'm thinking about a lot of the hard work that's gone into it. Some of the ups, a lot of the downs, the sacrifices and the support I've had along the way. Thankful for everybody and all their support."
