Forsberg mourns his friend: “Always be kind and honest”

Of: Emelie Fredriksson, Tomas Ros

Published: December 13, 2020 at 11:51 p.m.
Updated: December 14, 2020 at 00.16

Photo: LASSE ALLARD

Pierre Lacroix.

The legendary Colorado Avalanche general manager, Pierre Lacroix, has died at the age of 72.

He helped turn a young Peter Forsberg into a star and they followed each other for a decade.

– Of course it’s hard. We won two Stanley Cups together and had a lot of fun, Forsberg tells Sportbladet.

The hockey world lost a great profile this Sunday in Pierre Lacroix, who died in the suites of the covid-19, 72 years old.

Lacroix and Peter Forsberg arrived in Quebec Nordiques initially at the same time in 1994 and won the Stanley Cup for the first time in both 1996 and 2001. By then, the club under Lacroix’s leadership had been bought and transferred to the United States and Denver. .

Has kept in touch

– Since then, we’ve always had contact after that. I lived in Las Vegas when he also lived there and then I visited him several times. And it wasn’t long ago that we texted about the covid to find out if everything was okay. And now it was there in the covid, says Foppa.

Lacroix left his job as general manager at Avalanche in 2006, but continued as club president until 2013 before retiring from ice hockey.

Peter Forsberg describes a nice person who saw the man Peter above all.

– I remember asking him if I could play the final of the Stanley Cup against Jersey (2001) after having surgery on my spleen and he said “Forget it. Your life is more important than winning the Stanley Cup. ” He didn’t throw one on the ice if one wasn’t ready to be there. When you have a DJ who at work really wants you to be on the ice but cares more about my health than if I had to play … It is clear that it is hot and that you have a different vision of him.

Pierre Lacroix arranged big tries in Colorado in the trio Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque and Rob Blake and made a young Peter Forsberg the champion. Foppa praises him as a team builder and he remained with the club until the 2003/2004 season.

“I could trust him”

– He had a long-term plan for everything and that’s why he kept his word. If she said something, she knew she could trust him. He knew well when to press any button to improve a play or see if one was a little down. Nice and honest in all the years that I had it.

Do you think Colorado would have won two Stanley Cups without him?

– No, I don’t think so, top to bottom like this. But it is difficult to say.

The NHL tributes are pouring in, and league manager Gary Bettman says in a statement that Lacroix’s voice was respected throughout the league.

– The NHL mourns his passing and sends our condolences to his wife Colombe, his sons Martin and Eric, and the entire Lacroix family.

Published: December 13, 2020 at 11:51 p.m.

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