Landeskog ‘excited about what the future looks like' after playing in first game in three years
LOVELAND, Colo. — For the first time in 1,020 or so days, Gabriel Landeskog has some fresh game tape to examine. Game tape of him hitting players, taking hits, being called for a penalty and even putting someone in a headlock.
'A headlock,' he said with a grin Friday night, 'wasn't necessarily planned when I woke up this morning.'
His emotional journey back from a serious knee injury took center ice as he suited up in a professional game for the first time in nearly three years when 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 participated in the morning skate Friday at Blue Arena, and was given the green light to make his Eagles debut against the Henderson Silver Knights.
He went through pregame drills — without 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).
He soaked in every moment over the course of an evening filled with checks, spills, a hooking penalty called on him and all the applause.
'I'm excited about what the future looks like for me,' Landeskog said after the Eagles' 2-0 win in which he played just under 15 minutes.
Landeskog received praise from several Silver Knights players, including one who told him, 'it's great to have you back,' before a faceoff.
'It's what makes this game so great — you go out and put somebody in a headlock, and then the next faceoff, somebody says something nice to you,' Landeskog said. 'It's pretty cool. The support, even from players around the league, and obviously here as well, it means a lot.'
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 have high expectations of myself. I'm also realistic in knowing what I've gone through, and how much time is missed,' said Landeskog, who has been nearly a point-a-game player in six playoff runs with the Avalanche. 'I don't want to look too far ahead. But I do know that I feel good today, hopefully I feel good tomorrow and we can keep working. I can keep practicing and we'll see where it takes us.'
This was just another step along what's been a arduous journey.
'I'm excited for him and his family,' Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday before the team left for their two-game trip to California to close out the regular season. '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, made the roughly 50-mile trek north to Loveland in order 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, recently 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.
'It felt a little bit surreal driving up here for morning skate,' Landeskog said. '(The game) couldn't come fast enough. I was really excited. It's an odd feeling when you've been looking forward to something for so long, and then all of a sudden you get to do it.'
As for the plan moving forward, Landeskog's not fully sure. He may play again Saturday — if his knee feels up to it.
For now, he's just appreciative of all the support.
'I never thought this was going to get to this point and get this big and get this much attention,' Landeskog said. 'I was just trying to fight my way back, and here we are.
'It was a fun night. Now, I'm tired. I'm looking forward to sleep.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Not our best': Undisciplined Oilers thumped 6-1 by Panthers in ugly Game 3
SUNRISE - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the puck with Sergei Bobrovsky at his mercy. The Oilers forward — an injury question mark coming into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final — fired high and wide of the Panthers' goal with his team enjoying an early power play. It was about as good as things would get for Edmonton on an ugly Monday night that saw Florida dominate in picking up a resounding 6-1 victory to grab a 2-1 lead in the NHL title series. 'Not our best,' Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of his team's performance. 'I don't think our best has shown up all series long, but it's coming.' It better happen quick. A knife-edged matchup through 8 1/2 periods — a 4-3 Edmonton overtime victory and a 5-4 Florida triumph in double OT — didn't follow the same pattern after shifting from Alberta's capital to Sunrise's stifling heat. 'We didn't play very well, that's evident,' said Oilers winger Evander Kane, who took a pair of penalties in the first period. 'We have nobody to blame but ourselves.' Brad Marchand scored 56 seconds after puck drop to send Amerant Bank Arena into an early frenzy before that man-advantage chance where Nugent-Hopkins ripped that puck off the glass. The Oilers were undisciplined from there with three minor penalties in the offensive zone and another for too many men on the ice before the first intermission. The Panthers finally made the visitors pay when Carter Verhaeghe went bar down on Stuart Skinner. Corey Perry cut the deficit in half 100 seconds into the middle period on a power play as Edmonton briefly showed signs of life, but a turnover by Oilers defenceman John Klingberg led to Sam Reinhart making it 3-1. Sam Bennett then crushed Edmonton winger Vasily Podkolzin to create a turnover that led to his own breakaway goal before Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues rounded out the scoring on man advantages in the third. The Oilers played into the Panthers' hands all night, coming unhinged with scuffles after the whistle — something they had largely avoided through two games. Florida, which defeated Edmonton in seven to capture the franchise's first championship 12 months ago, showed again why its roster is littered with players adept at straddling or crossing the officiating line. And, from the Oilers' perspective, the calls have been tilted in the Panthers' favour. 'They seem to get away with it more than we do,' Kane said of the gamesmanship. 'It's tough to find the line. They're doing just as much stuff as we are … there seems to be a little bit more attention on our group.' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, whose team felt there should have been a too-many-men penalty on Florida in extra time of Game 2, had a biting take on the refereeing so far in the series. '(Wes McCauley and Francis Charron) did an outstanding job,' he said of Monday's officiating crew. 'They even caught the too-many-men penalty in the first period, which was too many men. 'They caught us there. I just wish they had been calling the game in Game 2 in overtime.' Skinner said it won't be difficult to flush the result. 'It's one game,' the netminder said after getting the hook following Florida's fifth goal on 23 shots. 'They could've beat us 12-0 and it's the same result. It's still just 2-1 (in the series). 'It might feel a little bit harder just because we weren't in the game, but it doesn't change how we're going to respond.' Both teams pivoted to message-sending mode in the third period, including a long fight between Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse and Florida forward Jonah Gadjovich. 'Boys being boys,' Knoblauch said. 'Just trying to make investments for the next game.' McDavid said his group can, if necessary, match the Panthers' physical style moving forward. 'We feel like we can play any game,' he said. 'When the game's out of hand, you're going to see that stuff.' Edmonton now has 48 hours to regroup before Game 4 on Thursday. 'You go back home at 2-2 or down 3-1 … it's a big swing,' said McDavid, whose team will host Game 5 on Saturday. 'It's a pivotal game. There's no doubt about it.' The Oilers will need a lot more — offence, discipline and composure — in a contest that could go a long way in determining if their Cup script is any different this time around. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Those final 10 minutes of Game 3? ‘An unraveling' for Edmonton in Florida's blowout win
The Florida Panthers were well on their way to a blowout win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday when things began to unravel. The Panthers were up four goals with just under 10 minutes left to play in their eventual 6-1 victory when Edmonton stopped focusing on the game and started going for the hits. The damage from the final 9:31 of game action: 110 penalty minutes, 80 of which came from eight misconducts (five for Edmonton, three for Florida). 'Definitely the third period's an unraveling,' Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'I think the game was out of hand. I don't think we would've acted or played like that had the game been a one-goal or a two-goal game. I think our guys were just trying to, I don't know, boys being boys — just trying to make investments for the next game. The first period, obviously the four penalties, which is way too many. We shouldn't have those. But I kind of question some of those penalties.' It began with Edmonton forward Trent Frederic trying to ambush Florida center Sam Bennett, who has been in the agitator role at several points throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. A missed punch to the back of Bennett's head was followed by a cross-check. And then the slew of skirmishes broke out, the headliner being Florida's Jonah Gadjovich dropping the gloves with Edmonton's Darnell Nurse for a lengthy round of full-on punches. A half-dozen players — Florida's Gadjovich, Bennett and A.J. Greer; Edmonton's Frederic, Nurse and Mattias Ekholm — were ejected afterward. And then it just kept coming. Edmonton's Evander Kane was sent off a few minutes later after slashing Verhaeghe while Verhaeghe was down on the ice. A few more Edmonton cheap shots followed in the final minutes of the game, with the Oilers' Kasperi Kapanen the final player kicked out of the game after a cross-check to Eetu Luostarinen with 4:13 left to play. Through it all, the Panthers stayed composed. They weren't going to stoop to that level, not with the lead they had and with so little time left to play. They have a bigger goal in mind. 'We talked about it in the third,' star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 'If you have to take a punch, take a punch. If you have to take a cross-check, take a cross-check. Spear, slash in the face, whatever the case is, you've got to take it. We just played a really smart game.' Added captain Aleksander Barkov: 'It's a 60-minute game. We just want to keep doing the same things all over again and play our game. Stuff like that sometimes happens. But I think overall, pretty, pretty happy with the 60 minute effort.' The Oilers, naturally, saw things differently. Edmonton star Connor McDavid said they lost their composure at 'the very end there when we're trying to show a little bit of fight back.' 'When you get into garbage time, those things happen,' McDavid said. 'And I don't mind when those things happen. That's what good teams do — fight your way out of the rink. I don't mind that in garbage time.' Added defenseman Jake Walman: 'There's not an inch out there. Everybody's doing everything they can. That's a grown man's game out there. It's not for the faint of heart. Guys are putting everything on the line you know?' Kane, meanwhile, said the game 'obviously got out of hand' before saying the Panthers 'seem to get away with it more than we do.' 'It's tough to find the line,' Kane said. 'They're doing just as much stuff as we are. ... There seems to be a little bit more attention on our group.' Did the Panthers, with their aggressive, agitating style, get the Oilers to play into their hand? 'I don't think so,' Knoblauch said. 'We've got some guys maybe who love the drop the gloves a little more and get at it a little bit. We're a big, physical team. We do have some skilled guys, and I don't see our skilled guys getting distracted and getting into that. The guys who like it are getting into it.' As for how this could impact the series moving forward? The Panthers aren't focused on that. 'I just think emotions in all of these games are extremely high,' veteran forward Brad Marchand said. 'And obviously this is the time you're playing and you're enjoying every minute. So it doesn't really matter what happened tonight, we both have to reset, and we're [ready] for the next one now.'
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
Panthers and Oilers engage in all-out brawl as Florida takes control of Stanley Cup Final in Game 3 victory
While fighting is a regularity in the NHL, there's a low percentage of it happening in Stanley Cup Playoff games. Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, though, saw an all-out brawl in the Florida Panthers' lopsided victory over the Edmonton Oilers to take a 2-1 lead in the series. In their first home game of the best-of-seven series, the Panthers took full advantage, and the Oilers tried to get even in a physical way instead of on the scoreboard. The game was already 5-1 in favor of Florida when things were getting more chippy on the ice. It reached a different level when Edmonton forward Trent Federic started to pick on Sam Bennett to the point where he cross-checked him down to the ice, and Bennett retaliated with some punches as he got on top of Federic. That initial fight led every player on the ice to find a partner to duel with, and the referees simply let the brawl play itself out. The Oilers' Darnell Nurse and the Panthers' Jonah Gadjovich clutched each other's sweaters and were throwing haymakers, while Florida's A.J. Greer dueled with Edmonton's Mattias Ekholm. After the fights fizzled out, Nurse, Godjovich, Bennett, Federic, Greer and Ekholm were all called for game misconducts and sent off the ice for the remainder of the game. But, with nearly half of the third period still to play, the tension between these two teams vying for Lord Stanley's Cup didn't stop. It mainly came from the Oilers, as Evander Kane was sent off the ice for the night after slashing Carter Verhaeghe in the face while he was down on the ice. More penalties would be had as the clock kept ticking down, and at that point, both teams were just hoping no one would get hurt with much of this series left to play. Even at the final buzzer, Oilers star Corey Perry started jousting with multiple Panthers players, as fans started throwing debris onto the ice. In the end, the Panthers responded to all the over-physical play by the Oilers with a power-play goal to cap their 6-1 victory, as Evan Rodrigues hammered home a shot. Other than the fights, some tremendous offensive hockey was on display by Florida from the get-go, as Brad Marchand potted one past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner just under one minute into the game. Marchand became the oldest player in NHL history to score in each of the first three Stanley Cup Finals games. But he isn't the only player to do so on his team in this series. Sam Bennett joined him in the second period after finding himself on a breakaway to the net thanks to Eetu Luostarinen intercepting an Edmonton pass at the blue line. Bennett went backhand forehand on Skinner, and buried his wrister top shelf to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Amerant Bank Arena went berserk as Bennett's goal led to an eruption of cheering on and off the ice for the Panthers. Verhaeghe also got into the goal column with a power-play goal assisted by Rodrigues and Nate Schmidt to go into the locker room up 2-0. Perry was able to get the Oilers a much-needed response with a power-play goal of his own at the beginning of the second period, but Florida's physicality, which was deemed legal by referees on the ice, ultimately led to Bennett's goal and Sam Reinhart's before that. Things came off the rails for Edmonton when Florida went back on the power play, and their top unit put together a beautiful display of passing ending with Aaron Ekblad's wide-open net to wrist home the team's fifth goal of the contest. It was truly a statement win for Florida, who have all types of momentum heading into Game 4 on Thursday night. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
