Say it ain't so, Foppa

Brett Favre, and now Peter Forsberg?

The 36-year-old forward and former NHL most valuable player is attempting yet another comeback, this time with his hometown team Modo in the Swedish Elite League.

The oft-injured center has experienced problems with his right foot for several years and didn't play at all last season, except for three games with Modo, when the chronic foot ailment forced him to give up the comeback attempt.

A great one in his prime and one of hockey's most entertaining players, Foppa as he's affectionately known in Sweden and by his legion of fans (especially in Colorado, where he's still revered), has undergone several foot surgeries and experimented with various skates in an attempt to return to the ice.

But maybe, just maybe, it's time for Forsberg to give up the game for good and enjoy life away from the rink.

Easy for me to say, because his love for the sport is so obvious. But how much pain and frustration can a guy endure before reality finally sinks in?

Forsberg is on a one-week contract with Modo and is scheduled to play a minimum of three games, starting Thursday against Frolunda. He's been practicing with Modo since early August and played in two games in a preseason tournament in Switzerland.

Forsberg last played in the NHL with the Avalanche late in the 2007-08 season, when he was only able to play in nine of 18 regular-season games (he had one goal and 13 assists) and in seven of 10 playoff games (with one goal and four assists).

I don't know if Forsberg has any interest in playing in the NHL again, but the Avalanche is in a rebuilding mode and will be icing its youngest team since moving from Quebec to Denver in 1995. Realistically, a return to Colorado is likely out of the question.

But I'm sure that Foppa would love to play for Sweden again in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Perhaps that's what this latest comeback is all about.