1996 NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND
FLEET CENTER, BOSTON
January 19, 1996
AN INTERVIEW WITH PETER FORSBERG

Q. Do you remember any instance during that series last year that you thought this is what Mark Messier is?
PETER FORSBERG: Not really like that. You know, he is a great player and, you know, you have to have great respect for him when playing against him, but I don't know what to say. Sure I want to be like him.
Q. Anything you take as a young player that you can say, you know, geez, this is what I want to do, this way because this is the way he does it and he is so successful?
PETER FORSBERG: Sure. He has got that, you know, attitude that he wants to win every game, and that is what you got to have; especially -- you got to be there every night in the playoffs, you can't take a night off. I didn't really take a night off last year. You got to really hate to lose, you got to win the Cup.
Q. Any thoughts about the possibility of the shootout in this game with you obviously scoring probably the most famous shootout --
PETER FORSBERG: No. I am just going to try and go in there and score. It is going to be hard.


January 17, 1998
An interview with PETER FORSERG

PETER FORSBERG: You can't just sit back and feel sorry for yourself. You do what you have to do. When it comes to the Olympic Games, it's something you dream about. You can't sit back and say, "I'm tired."
Q. In all honesty, could you do without the All-Star (inaudible)?
PETER FORSBERG: No. It's a fun thing to come here and play. It's not a real conditioning thing, training here. It's a fun game and you're here to have fun.
Q. Do you see any magazines or TV shows back home? What are they saying? Is there any Olympic hype?
PETER FORSBERG: Oh, yeah, everywhere I think it is. It's not only hockey, it's every sport. You know, it's a big event.
Q. Peter, when you were growing up in Sweden, I've never been aware of an academy where you can skip classes to play hockey. Can you run through that system? Seems weird.
PETER FORSBERG: Well, you have your regular classes, like three hours every other day, three times a week. You get twice a week to have an ice practice. Once a week you have weight lifting. It was great. We had a great group of guys when I was there, five of us, I think. It's a great competition. Every practice was hard. I think that helped us a lot, everybody that was there. I wouldn't accept losing as a team, wouldn't accept losing as my team. It's like a war every practice. I think it helped us a lot.
Q. It's in a small town?
PETER FORSBERG: It's only 60,000. It's not a big town. It's a big hockey town. Everybody plays hockey when you grow up.
Q. On the darkest day of the year, how much sunlight is there?
PETER FORSBERG: Not a whole lot (laughter).
Q. Sort of like Vancouver on All-Star Weekend?
PETER FORSBERG: Rainy day here (laughter). It gets really dark. During the summer, it's bright all day and all night. You can play golf at two o'clock in the morning. Pretty it's pretty good for me because I'm over here in the winters. It's really improved my golf game (laughter).
Q. Did you play at two in the morning ever?
PETER FORSBERG: There's a tournament that you play 24 hours. I don't know how many holes, 72 holes (laughter).


2002 All-Star

Sakic and Forsberg said they plan to have fun with the head-to-head competition, especially when it's time to take the opening face-off for the 11:30 a.m. game. "We're going to have a bet to see who wins," Forsberg said of the opening draw. "I'm going to get him. I'll pay the ref." Sakic said, "I have a few tricks of my own. But really, there's nothing to it. It's not like I'm going into the game saying, `Oh, I've got to face Peter.' We don't even talk about it, but I'm sure we'll have some fun with it."


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