Peter Forsberg is one of the greatest to ever grace NHL ice, and he was known for his on-ice vision as much as anything.
That proves to be ironic, because as Forsberg recently revealed to Swedish broadcaster SVT, he had played through congenital vision impairment in one eye. Although he only had 60 percent vision in one eye, he says it never impacted him on the ice.
(The following excerpt was run through Google Translate, so bear in mind that it may not be a perfect translation.)
In SVT's NHL studio, Peter "Foppa" Forsberg tells something new to many - he has not had a full vision during his career.
- No, I have not had that. I have a congenital visual error. I only see 60% on one eye, he says.
However, he was quick to tone down the significance of the vision.
"I definitely see. I see that Micke (Renberg) is out here, whether he has a light or dark suit. I do not think it matters at all. You know where people are, "he says.
Judging from his play, it didn’t seem like his poor vision did much to hold him from greatness, but it certainly makes you wonder if there’s any point where pure hockey instincts can take over for not being able to see perfectly. As long as you can see where guys are at on the ice, though — and it sounds like Forsberg could, for the most part — it probably doesn’t matter.
On the other hand, Rudy Gay, then of the Toronto Raptors, once had eyesight problems so serious that he underwent offseason eye surgery, and it has long been whispered that his inability to see the rim explained his poor shooting percentages. So, maybe Forsberg could've been even better with perfect vision.
Speaking of basketball, did you know that the only active Swede in the NBA — Jonas Jerebko of the Golden State Warriors — actually wears the jersey number 21 as a tribute to Forsberg?
h/t SVT
