Gabriel Landeskog suits up for AHL’s Colorado Eagles on Friday, 1st pro game in nearly 3 years

Gabriel Landeskog warmed up on the ice Friday night like this was just another game. He took his first shift, chased after a puck, dished out a light check and got called for a hooking penalty as if this was just another game, too.

It wasn’t. All the cameras trying to preserve the moment were proof of that. Landeskog suited up in a professional game for the first time in nearly three years as he joined the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.

The longtime Colorado Avalanche captain is on loan to the Eagles as part of a minor league conditioning assignment. He went through the morning skate at Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado, and was given the green light to make his Eagles debut against the Henderson Silver Knights.

He went through pregame drills — sans his helmet so his blond hair was easy to spot — to cheers and was serenaded with chants of “Landy, Landy, Landy” just before puck drop. The fans cheered when he left the ice after his first shift, which lasted about 46 seconds, and again after he went to the penalty box, with his image shown on the big screen (he waved to the crowd).

This was a pricey ticket, too (around $200). His just-unveiled Eagles No. 92 sweater was coveted as well, with fans waiting in a long line that snaked around the concourse for a chance to purchase one. His Avalanche jersey was a popular sight all over the venue.

Landeskog has been sidelined since he helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022 because of a knee injury and subsequent surgeries.

If all goes well with his Loveland stint, the 32-year-old gritty forward from Sweden could be activated for Game 1 of Colorado’s first-round playoff series. The Avalanche enter the postseason locked into the Central Division’s No. 3 seed and will open on the road.

“I’m excited for him and his family,” coach Jared Bednar said Friday before the team left for its two-game trip to California to close out the regular season. “Obviously, it’s been a long, hard road and to finally get back on the ice in a game situation, I’m just thrilled for him.”

Some of his Avalanche teammates, such as Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, were at the arena to catch a glimpse of No. 92 in an Eagles sweater. MacKinnon and Makar were among several players skipping Colorado’s final trip to get some rest before the playoffs.

“He put a lot of work in, a lot of time,” defenseman Erik Johnson, a longtime friend of Landeskog, said. “It’s something he didn’t have to put his body through but wanted to for the team. To have him get this far in his recovery is exciting for us.”

Landeskog’s injury dates back to the 2020 “bubble” season when he was accidentally sliced above the knee by the skate of Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, and has been on long-term injured reserve.

The procedure was similar to the one performed on Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball in March 2023. Ball returned to the court for a preseason game in October, which hinted at a possible timeline for Landeskog’s return.

Landeskog’s comeback has been the subject of a documentary series called “A Clean Sheet: Gabe Landeskog” that’s airing on TNT and TruTV.

This is Landeskog’s 13th season as a captain, with only Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin serving as leaders of their current teams for a longer span.

“He carries such a weight within the locker room,” Colorado forward Logan O’Connor said. “Obviously, his voice is huge.”

As for the plan with Landeskog after Friday, Bednar said that’s still to be determined. Over his career, Landeskog has been nearly a point-a-game player in six playoff runs with the Avalanche.

“This is the toughest time of the year to jump back into a lineup, right? And he’s still not there yet,” Bednar said. “We’ll just see how he does tonight, and we’ll just keep reevaluating from there, just like we would do with any other injury. But the length of time that this has gone on, it’s significant.

“So we’ll see how he looks in practice. We’ll make the decisions on our lineup for the games if he gets that point, and go from there. But still one day at a time.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl