Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played Friday night for the franchise's AHL affiliate, for his first professional game in nearly three years.
Landeskog went through the morning skate for the Avalanche's AHL team, the Colorado Eagles, and was given the go-ahead to play in their game against the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate for the Vegas Golden Knights.
He went through pregame drills -- sans his helmet, so his blond hair was easy to spot -- to cheers and was serenaded with chants of "Landy, Landy, Landy" just before puck drop. The fans cheered when he left the ice after his first shift, which lasted about 46 seconds, and again after he went to the penalty box, with his image shown on the big screen. (He waved to the crowd.)
On Wednesday, the Avalanche sent Landeskog to the Eagles for a conditioning stint. Landeskog has spent the past few days with the Eagles, who play a little more than an hour away in Loveland, Colorado, in an attempt to be ready for the club's bid to win its fourth Stanley Cup.
Landeskog's last appearance came in Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. He led the Avalanche to the third championship in club history. He then missed the entire 2022-23 season with a knee injury, undergoing knee cartilage replacement surgery in May 2023. He also missed the entire 2023-24 season.
The 32-year-old had been traveling with the team in recent years and had been doing on-ice work away from the team. This season, however, has led to Landeskog gradually spending more practice time with the Avalanche, further adding to the belief that he could be part of their playoff plans.
Avs coach Jared Bednar told reporters after practice Friday that they will monitor Landeskog's progress and that there are no plans beyond him playing against the Silver Knights. Should the Avs want an extended look at Landeskog, they would have that option, considering the Eagles have four more games before their regular season ends next Saturday.
Getting Landeskog back in the playoffs would potentially provide the Avalanche not only with their captain but a two-way winger who gives them another top-six and/or top-nine option depending on how they use him.
Entering Friday, the Avalanche (48-28-4) were third in the Central Division standings with two road games remaining. They face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday before finishing the regular season on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.