ast year, Canucks’ General Manager Mike Gillis tendered several lucrative offers to unrestricted free agent superstar Mats Sundin. As most Vancouver fans are painfully aware, Sundin dithered for almost six months before inking a prorated deal and playing 41 games, which turned out to be a complete bust. Sundin scored just nine goals in 41 games. Could we be on the verge of seeing it all over again? That’s the sceptical opinion making the rounds right now with news coming out of Sweden that the great but often-injured Peter Forsberg has proclaimed himself fit to resume his storied NHL career and sign a new deal. At first glance, this seems like exactly the situation the Canucks should stay away from, especially coming off the failed Sundin experiment. Forsberg is 36 years old and is already being pursued by a number of teams in both the NHL and the Russian KHL, led by the New York Rangers, who have already publicly confirmed interest in the power forward. So in order to gain his services, it’s quite likely that Gillis would have to throw wads of cash at Forsberg, all with the strong possibility that he’d turn out to be just another Sundin. Se However, there is another side to this story, and it’s one that Gillis should take a long look at. Unlike Sundin, who by the time he finally suited up for the Canucks had idled through almost nine months of inactivity, Forsberg has actually been playing high-level hockey this year already in the Swedish Elite League. NHL scouts have descended on the prestigious Karjala Cup tournament this past weekend in Sweden in order to get a closer look at Forsberg’s game and perhaps just as importantly, the durability of his often- injured and well-documented right foot, which Forsberg swears is back to normal. When you look at his career, Peter Forsberg just might be the most complete hockey player of all time. He’s a proven winner and a big game player with Stanley Cup rings, an Olympic gold medal and monster playoff statistics (171 points in just 151 post-season games); he’s a former league MVP and leading scorer. He’s arguably the best power forward ever and his 885 points in 706 NHL games strongly back that up. That’s an average of 1.25 points per game. That’s better than Howe and Maurice Richard. Over the past 20 years, no one has been more powerful on the puck than Forsberg, which is saying something when you combine it with his tremendous passing skills and his deadly shot. In fact, if it wasn’t for his horrible injury history, Another Swedish signing? Canucks may want to take a close look at Forsberg there’s no doubt that Forsberg would be talked about in the same breath as Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe. However, what makes him so special is that while he’s clearly one of the most dynamic offensive forces ever, he’s just as valuable in his own end. In 12 NHL seasons Forsberg has never, never, had a minus year on the plus-minus scale. The problem has always been his health though, and that’s a major concern for any GM with aspirations to sign him. After all, in his last comeback bid with Colorado two years ago, he played just nine regular season games. The year before that with Nashville he only played 17 times. In the last four years Forsberg has played just 26 NHL games, which is enough to scare any GM off, no matter how good the player. Cap concerns could also hinder negotiations as well. Vancouver is comfortable right now with Pavol Demitra on the long term injury list, but it would be a complex situation if he returns to the line-up and Forsberg signs. Despite the risk, Gillis should take a run at Forsberg; he’s the type of player that can immediately shore up any team at both ends of the rink. Who wouldn’t want him? Garth McLennan sports editor Peter Forsberg The next super-fight Pacquiao-Mayweather could be one for the ages By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor anny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather is the fight everyone wants to see. When it eventually happens, which it will, probably some time next summer, it has the potential to be one of the biggest bouts of all time. What is so interesting about this is that both fighters are taking eerily similar paths to their blockbuster next year. Both have blown away Oscar de la Hoya and both have destroyed Ricky Hatton. Now, in what will most likely be the final prelude to their fight (although Shane Mosley has been clamouring to take on Pacquiao), both have, or are, taking on very difficult opponents. Mayweather came out of a nearly two-year retirement in a very unconventional way, picking apart Juan Manuel Marquez, who is generally regarded as the second or third best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and is anything but an easy task. Now, fresh off his stunning second round knockout of Hatton, Pacquiao is set to face the hard-charging Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), for Cotto’s WBO Welterweight Championship. While it’s easy to look ahead to Pacquiao- Mayweather, nobody should underestimate the challenge that Cotto presents. He’s a very rugged, very tough fighter with just a single loss on his record, and that came in very controversial fashion in a now infamous fight racked with accusations of loaded gloves against Antonio Margarito last year. Since then he’s picked up two solid wins against Michael Jennings and Joshua Clottey. By fighting Cotto at 145 lbs, Pacquiao is once again proving himself to be one of the most versatile fighters of this generation. Last year alone, Pacquiao fought Marquez at 130 lbs (super featherweight), David Diaz at 135 lbs (lightweight) and de le Hoya at 145 Ibs (light welterweight). He then went down to 140 Ibs for his bout with Hatton in May. That’s fighting in three different weight classes in just a little over a calendar year. Think of how remarkable that is. I mean, how many other world class boxers can you say have done that? I can’t think of many. Expect Pacquiao to win this one. Yes, he’s moving up to a 145 category, but Cotto is also moving down from his usual weight of 147 (welterweight) and above. Momentum should also play a factor. Right now, Manny Pacquiao is the hottest fighter on the planet. He’s coming in riding two massive international blockbuster wins and has really matured into a devastatingly complete fighter. I can’t think of a boxer I’ve seen in the last 10 years with the hand speed that Pacquiao has, and that includes Floyd Mayweather (even though Mayweather is incredibly quick himself). On the other side of the coin, Cotto, despite coming off a pair of victories, is seen by some as on the down swing of his career. Yes, he’s only 29, but the pummelling he took at the hands of Margarito made a statement. Cotto is a boxer with heart and courage in spades. He kept coming at Margarito, despite the beating he took, until his trainer mercifully threw in the towel. But this could work against him against Pacquiao, who can exploit his opponent’s weaknesses with the best in the business. Just as Ricky Hatton. Cotto has a tendency to expose his face when advancing on the other fighter, and that’s something Pacquiao could pounce on. An upset Cotto win in this one could lead to an interesting welterweight landscape in the near future, but that’s a long shot to happen. Right now it’s all about the lead up to the Pacquiao-Mayweather match, and everyone else, whether it’s Cotto, Mosley, Marquez or anyone, is just living in their world. 3