Forsberg Takes Leave From Avalanche

Six-time NHL all-star Peter Forsberg is taking a leave of absence after missing the Colorado Avalanche’s run to the Stanley Cup title because of a ruptured spleen.

“I’m not retiring,” Forsberg said Saturday at Stockholm’s Globe Arena, where the Avalanche was practicing for an exhibition game against a Swedish club. “I love hockey. I want to come back playing and I’m going to work out. I’m not going to gain 40 pounds.”

Forsberg, 28, had surgery to remove his ruptured spleen and stop internal bleeding on May 10, hours after Colorado defeated the Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

He was released from the hospital a few days later and sat out the remainder of the playoffs.

“I just feel that right now, in my current frame of mind, I can’t go out and play at the level I expect out of myself,” Forsberg said. “Over the last few years, the numerous injuries and the recent surgeries made me come to this decision.”

Forsberg met with Avalanche owner Stanley Kroenke and President Pierre Lacroix.

“We are shocked with his decision, but we have to respect it,” Lacroix said. “Peter told me that he did not have the desire, strength and mental toughness to compete right now and wanted to step aside.”

Forsberg said he will stay in Sweden for a few weeks before returning to Denver.

“I love Denver,” he said. “I love the fans and this organization. I will truly miss everything.”

Forsberg scored the winning goal against Canada in a penalty shootout as Sweden won the gold medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. He wouldn’t rule out playing at the Salt Lake City Games in February.

However, Forsberg said he expects to return to the Avalanche first.

Forsberg, among the NHL’s highest-paid players, won’t be paid during his absence.

“It was not my intention to be paid,” he said. “I understand the situation. It’s not like I broke a leg and will be paid. It’s not a money issue or a contract issue.”

College Football

Michigan and Illinois have rescheduled games postponed because of last week’s terrorist attacks.

No. 20 Michigan was slated to host Western Michigan and Illinois was set to play No. 25 Louisville at home. Both games will be played Saturday.

Michigan and Illinois moved their Big Ten Conference game, scheduled for Saturday, to Sept. 29. The teams had byes that day.

Louisville had a bye this week and Western Michigan was scheduled to host Ball State. That game will be played Nov. 24.

Track and Field

Michael Johnson ran his final race, anchoring his team to victory in an exhibition relay and taking a farewell lap in a gold convertible at Yokohama, Japan.

“Even though it was my last race, I still have to go out there and execute,” said Johnson, who turned 34 on Thursday. “There are no emotions during the race and I just tried to make sure that I did what needed to be done to win.”

The Swedish Relay at the Yokohama meet featured legs of 100, 200, 300 and 400 meters. Johnson’s team, which included Namibian Frankie Fredericks and Americans Terrence Trammell and Shawn Crawford, was timed in 1 minute 47.93 seconds.

Johnson was coming off the Goodwill Games, where he anchored the U.S. 1,600-meter relay team to the gold medal.

Johnson, the world-record holder in the 200 and 400, is the only man to sweep those events at the same Olympics and the only man to repeat as Olympic 400 champion.

Tennis

Monica Seles won the $1.025-million Brazil Open, defeating Yugoslavia’s Jelena Dokic, 6-3, 6-3, at Salvador. In men’s semifinals, Jan Vacek of the Czech Republic defeated Alexandre Simoni of Brazil, 7-6, 6-2, and Fernando Meligeni of Brazil defeated Augustin Calleri of Argentina, 7-6, 7-5.

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Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov won semifinals to set up the first all-Russian final at the $550,000 President’s Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Safin, the defending champion and seeded No. 1, defeated Sargis Sargsian of Armenia, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-6 (5). Kafelnikov, seeded second, eliminated Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (8).

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Justine Henin of Belgium and Sandrine Testud of France, the top seeded players in the inaugural Big Island Championships at Waikoloa, Hawaii, posted easy semifinal victories.

Henin defeated fourth-seeded Lisa Raymond, 6-2, 6-2, and Testud needed only 54 minutes to oust unseeded Marissa Irvin, 6-0, 6-1.

Henin, 19, is having a breakthrough season. A French Open semifinalist and the Wimbledon runner-up, she has lost only 15 games in the tournament as she seeks her fourth title of the year.

Miscellany

Saudi Arabia defeated Thailand, 3-1, and China defeated Uzbekistan, 2-0, in World Cup qualifying soccer games.

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The Canadian Football League will play three games Monday that were postponed because of the terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon. The games will be Toronto at Montreal, Saskatchewan at Calgary and Edmonton at Winnipeg.

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Winning his second stake in as many days at Fairplex, trainer Mel Stute saddled Danceoftheflags for a narrow win over favored Aglow in the $100,000 Barretts Debutante. Danceoftheflags was ridden by Martin Pedroza, who picked up his third win of the day.

Passings

George Ireland, coach of Loyola’s 1963 NCAA championship basketball team, died Friday in Chicago. He was 88. Ireland, who retired in 1974, had a record of 321-255 in 24 years and guided the Ramblers to the NCAA tournament four times and the NIT once.