“Physically, I feel great. Obviously, it’s the first game in a long time, so I got plenty of things to work on and get better at, but it was a lot of fun,” said Gabriel Landeskog on April 11 as he returned to professional hockey after a three-year hiatus. Before he rejoined the NHL, the 32-year-old took the ice with the Colorado Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, whom he helped in a 2-0 victory against the Henderson Silver Knights at Blue Arena. 

“During the on-ice warm-up, I was trying to figure out what I used to do again,” Landeskog acknowledged after his first rodeo back in over 1000 days. But while he struggled to retrace the steps of his warm-up routine, he certainly did not struggle being himself on the ice. The Gabriel Landeskog of old was back, landing and taking hits. In fact, he even threw in a headlock, which, according to him, “wasn’t necessarily planned.” And before long, he was back with the Colorado Avalanche as well, doing one more thing that he “used to do” before he was sidelined—leading the side as their captain. But shouldn’t someone else have taken his place by now? Well, they didn’t. And there’s a reason…

Why Gabriel Landeskog remains captain

It all started in the 2020 season, when an accidental slice above the knee from teammate Cale Makar’s skate during a playoff game against the Dallas Stars forced Gabriel Landeskog to undergo a cartilage transplant procedure in 2023.  The recovery time was uncertain, and he had been placed on LTIR (long-term injury reserve). Naturally, that had fans pondering if it was time for someone else to step up as captain. 

The debate began in November 2023 when Altitude Sports‘ Darren McKee proposed that the Avs needed to ask Gabe to pass the torch, even suggesting Cale Makar as a potential replacement. But head coach Jared Bednar was clear.

Bednar had taken care to look into Landeskog’s situation before the 2023 season even began, and was happy with how the Swede had progressed in his journey till then. “He was doing really good I have a lot of faith in Gabe that if it’s at all possible, that he’ll be back. That he’s gonna get to the point this season where he’s clear to skate and be around the team.. if i had heard he was gone even for the playoffs, I think there’s an argument to be had about giving the C to someone else in the meantime… I don’t think it’s a necessity.. it also goes to your room we have a core that’s established here… they do what they do regardless of the letter on their jersey.” said Bednar on Altitude Sports Radio. 

Before the 2023 season had begun, word on the ice was that No. 92 could return by the time the playoffs took off. And at the time, Landeskog had already lost his limp, which was read as tell-tale signs of him being cleared to skate sooner rather than later. But for that, he would have needed to be cleared no but January or February because a March clearance would have cut it too close.

But, of course, as we all know, neither timeline held up, and it wasn’t until Wednesday that the captain could truly make a comeback on the ice. Coincidentally, it was against the same team against whom he had played his last NHL game before being sidelined 1032 days ago.

The comeback

“We’ve got work to do as a team, and that’s what we’ll do,” Landeskog stated after stepping back on the NHL ice of the Avalanche’s first-round Stanley Cup Playoff against the Dallas Stars. And again, Landeskog did what he is known for. In 13 minutes and 16 seconds, he racked up six hits (a team high), including a big one on national teammate and friend Mikko Rantanen.

Everyone at Ball Arena stood while he was skating, an honorable standing ovation, and his family, also in the crowd, cheered him. “So proud of you, Daddy!” read the placard held up by his children, who finally got to see their father play. “They’ve probably been thinking that I’ve been lying this whole time that I play hockey,” joked the 32-year-old, as he talked about how he was almost brought to tears during the warm-up.  

But as the big Swede’s return made him the fifth player in NHL history (and fifth since Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg) with 700 games or more to make a comeback on to the ice after a 1000 day+ hiatus, the 2-1 defeat to the Stars left a sour taste in the mouth for the Avs. That being said, they were happy to have their captain back. “It’s exciting to have him back in the room and back with us. Thought he played really well, so hopefully he continues that way,” said Cale Makar. Indeed, with Dallas leading the series 2-1, Landeskog will have to make his comeback count. Big Time.