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

Gabriel Landeskog's wife Melissa shed happy tears watching her husband take the ice after an almost three-year long wait, on April 23, 2025. It took him 1032 days to return owing to a long recovery caused by complications from knee surgeries. His return was emotional and special for the entire NHL world, especially his wife, children and family, who were in attendance.

Landeskog's childeren, Luke and Linnea, played a vital part in daddy's return as they 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.

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

Mellisa said she dreamt of Landeskog scoring, ever since his return, but was skeptical given the uncertainity around it. But the Avs captain did exactly that and netted a goal, in just his second game. She said,

“That moment, I couldn’t stop bawling. 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 directly inserted into playoff action during Game 3 of Western Round 1 playoffs against the Stars, after a short conditioning stint in the AHL. Melissa Landeskog said things feel perfectly into place, and that the 32 year-old Swedish winger slotted right into the Avs lineup.

This did not come easy, as Melissa admitted being concerned about his direct insertion into playoff-style hockey. She said,

“I was so nervous because playoff hockey is a different game. 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 are currently 3-2 down in the series, and 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 a special NHL list on the day he returned to the NHL, 1032 days since his last game. He joined Jim Peplinski, Mario Lemieux, Uwe Krupp and Peter Forsberg as 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 addressed his first game since return, which ended in a 2-1 OT for the Avalanche, and said,

“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 was on the verge of tears, as he saw his two kids holding up a sweet "So proud of you daddy!" sign in the stands. He quipped his kids may think he does not play hockey, given his prolonged absence from the game. He said,

“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, Cale Makar and the Avs are on the brink of elimination from the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. They will take on the Dallas Stars on Thursday, May 1, to fight for another chance at survival.