Gabriel Landeskog's wife Melissa reveals her raw emotions after watching him score his first goal since return from injury

By Srihari Anand

Modified May 01, 2025 09:49 GMT

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Gabriel Landeskog's wife Melissa shed happy tears watching her husband take the ice after an almost three-year-long wait on April 23. Landeskog took 1032 days to return after complications from knee surgeries. His return was emotional and special for the NHL world, especially his wife, children and family, who were in attendance.

Landeskog's children, Luke and Linnea, held up a "So proud of you daddy!" sign in the stands. His family members enjoyed the game from the player suite while donning custom No. 92 jerseys.

Landeskog's wife Melissa was featured on Tuesday's episode of the "Never Offside with Julie & Cat" podcast. She opened up about her emotions watching him score his first goal since his return, in Game 4 against the Dallas Stars, the atmosphere in Ball Arena, and more.

Melissa said she dreamt of Landeskog scoring, but was skeptical given the uncertainty around his return. The Avs captain ended up scoring in just his second game back.

“That moment, I couldn’t stop bawling," Melissa said. "I was just bawling my eyes out. Everyone was giving me hugs. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.”

The Avalanche captain was inserted into playoff action during Game 3 of the first-round series against the Stars, after a short conditioning stint in the AHL. Melissa Landeskog said things fell perfectly into place, and that the 32-year-old Swedish winger slotted right into the Avs lineup.

“I was so nervous because playoff hockey is a different game," Melissa added. "So I was like, ‘That’s when you’re going to jump in? Really?’ But he was so excited, and it was just really positive.”

The Avalanche trail 3-2. Gabriel Landeskog has two points, from one goal and one assist, in three games.

First game back was a "memory of a lifetime" for Gabriel Landeskog despite Avs loss

Gabriel Landeskog joined Jim Peplinski, Mario Lemieux, Uwe Krupp and Peter Forsberg on a special NHL list on the day he returned to action. He became the fifth player to return to his team after an absence of 1,000 days or more, having played 700 or more games, per NHL stats.

Landeskog's Avalanche lost the game 2-1 in OT, but that did not take away from the magnitude of the night.

“It’s a very special night, and from my perspective, regardless of the outcome of the game, I mean, that was a memory of a lifetime for me,” he said. “It was very special.”

The Swede said he was on the verge of tears when he saw his two kids holding up the sweet sign in the stands.

“That was as close as I got to losing it, during warmup, when I looked over at them and [saw] their big smiling faces, so it was very special,” Landeskog said. “They’ve probably been thinking that I’ve been lying this whole time, that I didn’t play hockey. I really do."

Gabriel Landeskog, alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, are on the brink of elimination from the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Avs will take on the Dallas Stars on Thursday to fight for another chance at survival.