CALGARY — In the spring of 2024, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog hobbled into the University of Calgary's integrative neuromuscular sports performance lab to try to restart his NHL career.
He hasn't played in the NHL since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche lifted the Stanley Cup with a Game 6 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. But behind this triumph was the deterioration of Landeskog's knee.
Landeskog underwent cartilage replacement surgery in the spring of 2023 after a season on the sidelines. It was his fourth surgery after cutting his right kneecap with a skate during a 2020 playoff game in Edmonton.
His rehabilitation after cartilage replacement was one step forward, two steps back.
“He was really struggling, and the main problem was that at this point he had made a couple of attempts to get back on the ice, and both times he had serious knee pain,” said Dr. Matthew Jordan, assistant professor of kinesiology and lead researcher in the Muscular Strength and Power Laboratory of the Sports Performance Laboratory.
“He has a lot of composure. That's one of the words I used to describe Gabe, but I could tell he was worried and I could tell he was worried about how he was going to save his career. He had a long, long way to go to recover to get back to playing in the NHL.”
Landeskog and Jordan connected through University of Calgary alumnus Marcin Goszczynski, a strength and conditioning coach and massage therapist for elite athletes who will serve as Canada's therapist for the Olympic men's hockey competition in February.
Landeskog met with Goscinski and Jordan in Calgary in early 2024 to discuss a possible path forward, then returned to the University of Calgary about a half-dozen times for testing.
“There are days when you wonder if you're done playing this game, and then it gets harder because it's the only thing you've ever done,” Landeskog said. “As a kid, I delivered newspapers and did other odd jobs, but it was always hockey.”
The 32-year-old Swede, who was once the youngest captain in the NHL at 19, was running out of options.
“This journey has been very difficult,” Landeskog said. “I didn't know what the ending would look like. I was stubborn and didn't give up.”
The technology developed with Jordan became central to Landeskog's rehabilitation.
Jordan is a scientific consultant for Vancouver-based Plantiga, which developed a sensor-equipped insole that Landeskog has included in both his skateboarding and street shoes.
Microchips in the insoles measured his biomechanics, detecting subtle lameness that signaled regression and warned him when he needed to lighten his workload.
Jordan made the analogy of putting out a fire while it's still a wisp of smoke rather than a five-alarm fire.
Landeskog was followed not only in the gym and on the ice, but also while walking the dog or on the way to the car. He dropped microchips from his insoles into a docking station to upload data to the cloud.
Jordan could see on the dashboard how Landeskog's gait was reacting to the increasing workload.
“We could literally pick up subtle changes in the way Gabe's gait changed and weakened,” Jordan explained.
“His dashboard had a red light flashing and it said, ‘Hey, Gabe is now in a red light area where his driving pattern has changed. It’s time to stop and let his body heal and recover.”
Over time, Landeskog learned to trust the data.
“The athlete in us just wants to go, go, go and wants to compete and come back and keep working, so the data was good to tighten the reins a little bit sometimes,” he said.
“You can fool yourself into thinking you're feeling pretty good. At the end of the day, I played the long game and I'm grateful we did it.”
Landeskog tested his knee in two American Hockey League games last spring before returning to the NHL in Game 1 of Colorado's first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars, which included Jordan.
“Man, it was amazing when they announced his number,” Jordan recalls. “Seeing my wife and kids in the corner… knowing the journey he's been through, I felt so grateful that I was able to see the positive outcome. He looked great there.”
The Avalanche were eliminated in seven games, but the big plus for the captain was that he successfully returned to the NHL. Landeskog has averaged nearly 14 minutes per game in Colorado's first 16 games this season and continues to get feedback from his insoles.
“Yes, they are here,” he said. “They've honestly been a lifesaver for me in terms of training and rehab. The data we get from them has been very helpful. We've been able to see patterns and see asymmetries between my right and left legs before anything starts to bother me.”
“Sensors themselves are cutting-edge technologies, especially when it comes to athletes returning to play after injury. The ability to leverage technology like this will be a huge benefit for teams moving forward in all sports.”
— With files from John Korobanik in Edmonton.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2025.
