"It was vintage Peter Forsberg, a great chance for him to keep the panting, obedient media assembled by his locker in suspense for just a few more moments. And the player nicknamed "Foppa" milked it for all it was worth.

After being asked "have you made your decision yet?" about playing for the Avalanche, Forsberg excused himself for a second to take off his upper-body protective gear. Then, with a flair for the overly dramatic that might earn him a spot on Sweden's version of "All My Children," Forsberg let the microphone mob in on the secret.

"I want to play," Forsberg said.

And so it was official: Forsberg, at 37 and nearly three years removed from his most recent NHL game, agreed to a contract through the rest of this season with the Avalanche. At a salary of $1 million, prorated with a bit more than a third of the season to play, Forsberg will be back in his familiar uniform number 21.

For the Avs, it could be blackjack. Or, it could prove to be an ill-advised idea. In a league in which youth and speed have trended upward since the NHL's lockout of 2004-05, Forsberg knows this could be the biggest challenge of his professional life.

"I'm nervous to see how it goes," said Forsberg, who won't play tonight at Phoenix and likely won't make his debut with the Avs until Friday at Columbus or Saturday at Nashville. "I don't know how it's going to go. I'm going to say that right now."

Forsberg's former Avalanche teammate Joe Sakic thinks it will go well.

"He was never the fastest guy in the world, and he still won't be the fastest guy in the world. But he'll be the smartest guy in the world, I'll guarantee you," Sakic said. "He'll still see guys nobody else can see and get them the puck.

"You know what? He's a hockey player. These young guys, they're really going to see what he's about. They're going to learn so much just by watching him. They'll learn strength on the puck and what his competitive fire is all about."

Forsberg said the days leading up to his decision were "horrible." He went back and forth on the decision, feeling great one day and not so good the next. And right up until the end, the Avs' front office did not know what his decision would be.

Only after consulting with Avs trainer Matt Sokolowski at the end of practice Sunday did Forsberg seem to make up his mind."