Gabriel Landeskog makes feelings known after playing his first pro hockey game in 1,020 days

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog returned to pro hockey on Friday, suiting up for the AHL's Colorado Eagles after being sidelined for nearly 1,020 days due to a severe knee injury.

Landeskog logged under 15 minutes of ice time in the Eagles' 2-0 win over the Henderson Silver Knights. It was Landeskog's first professional game since leading the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup. He underwent knee surgery after the win and has been on LTIR since a cartilage transplant in May 2023.

When asked about returning after such a long absence, Landeskog said:

"Felt great, felt great. I don't know if this is working or not, but I'll keep talking into... Physically I feel great. There's obviously—it's the first game in a long time, so I got plenty of things to work on and get better at. But yeah, it was a lot of fun."

The veteran forward was sent to the Eagles on a conditioning stint as he gets closer to making his NHL return. After participating in the morning skate, Landeskog was cleared to make his Eagles debut. He threw a few checks, drew a hooking penalty, and earned plenty of cheers from the crowd.

On what this AHL game meant to him, Landeskog stated,

"It was just kind of another step in the process for me... For me, we never looked too far ahead. We just started exploring it and we talked to the league and the PA and everybody. Just the next step in the process, to be honest. It's been really good and we'll keep working."

Landeskog’s Avalanche teammates — including Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Ross Colton, Andrew Cogliano, and GM Chris MacFarland — were in the stands at Blue Arena in Colorado to watch him play.

Gabriel Landeskog opens up about his rehab journey

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog admitted there were tough days when he struggled to stay positive and didn't know if he would return. However, Landeskog kept focused on his goal.

“Obviously there are times where it goes through waves and sometimes you're really negative and you're really not seeing where the path is, and sometimes you'd find it and have all this motivation, inspiration, and you're just chugging along.” Gabriel Landeskog said.

“But you keep putting the work in, and day by day you keep doing it and keep believing. The days become weeks, and the weeks become months, and finally years have gone by—and now you're playing again."

If things go smoothly during his time in the AHL, Gabriel Landeskog could be back with the Avalanche for the start of the playoffs. Colorado has locked in the third seed in the Central Division with 100 points.