Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog completes remarkable comeback

Gabe Landeskog recently said he’s had to stop thinking about what that first time back on the ice at Ball Arena would feel like.

Now, after 1,032 days away, the captain is back. And that return will be a forever memory.

Landeskog completed his remarkable comeback Wednesday night for the Avalanche in Game 3 of its opening-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars.

The first WWE-style pop for Landeskog came before he even reached the ice. A camera was trained on his emergence from the Avalanche locker room, and a much larger than normal crowd waiting for warmups roared with delight.

Landeskog followed starting goalie Mackenzie Blackwood onto the ice, and the rest of the Avs waited a couple of beats to give their captain something short of a rookie solo lap but long enough for the Ball Arena fans to welcome back one of the most beloved players in franchise history.

The first “Landy” chant followed shortly after. The next came just before the starting lineups.

Landeskog was announced last, and the press box shook from the loudest ovation at a hockey game in this building in at least the past two seasons.

His first hit in nearly three years? Landeskog knocked old friend Mikko Rantanen to the ice in the neutral zone.

His first offensive contribution? Landeskog set up Nathan MacKinnon for Colorado’s first shot on goal of the game.

Landeskog gave Avs fans a pump fake on Monday night in Dallas, but this time it was for real. The Avalanche tweeted, “It’s happening” at 6 p.m., and Landeskog was shown entering Ball Arena.

Landeskog participated in the Avs’ morning skate Wednesday morning, just as he has been recently. One big difference? He wore a burgundy jersey, which on game days denotes being part of the second power-play unit, and the captain participated in power-play drills during the skate.

“We’ll see,” Bednar said after the skate when asked if Landeskog will play. And see the burgundy-and-blue clad patrons did.

Landeskog had not played an NHL game since June 26, 2022, because of issues with his right knee. He suffered an accidental skate cut just above the knee during the 2020 playoffs inside the NHL’s “COVID bubble” in Edmonton, Alberta, then played off and on over the next two seasons, culminating in winning the Stanley Cup in 2022.

The captain underwent a series of procedures, including knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023, in an attempt to get back on the ice. That return finally happened in front of a rocking Ball Arena.

“I’m thrilled. I think that’s so much bigger than the hockey in this series,” ex-Avs star and current Stars center Matt Duchene said. “He was up at my cottage right after he had the surgery, showing me the pictures of before and after, all that stuff.

“And obviously, as a guy, we have a good friendship. Our families are good friends, and we’ve been rooting for him to come back. Obviously, it makes our job harder having a guy like that out there, but on the friends side, the human side, and the fellow athlete side, I think everyone’s happy to see the progress he’s made.”

Landeskog was activated from long-term injured reserve hours before Game 2 on Monday. He led the Avs skaters out for warmups, donning the ‘C’ on his jersey. But Miles Wood, not Landeskog, took line rushes during warmups in place of an injured Ross Colton. Wood, not Landeskog, then took the place of Colton on the official lineup.

“Gabe wanted to get in a groove and take warmup tonight and get in the room and be part of it,” Bednar said after the game Monday night, a 4-3 Avs loss in overtime. “So that’s why he did that.”