Saku KOIVU

Player

Born Turku, Finland, 23 November 1974

Perhaps the greatest competitor that Finnish ice hockey has ever produced, Saku Koivu was a player of skill, heart, dedication, and honour. In a career that lasted nearly two decades both internationally and in the NHL, Koivu captained his team to many great moments.

Although he was part of Suomi’s bronze medal at the 1994 Olympics, and a silver medallist a few months later at the World Championship, it was a year later that Koivu first achieved something historic.

Playing on a line with Jere Lehtinen and Ville Peltonen at the 1995 World Championship, the trio led Finland to its first ever gold medal at that event. All three players on the team’s top line were named to the All-Star Team, and Koivu was named IIHF Directorate Award Best Forward.

That fall, Koivu left Finnish league hockey to begin an historic career with the Montreal Canadiens. As a rookie he scored 20 goals and was a brilliant addition to the team, displaying great skating speed, soft hands with the puck, and great two-way play.

It was in 1998 at the first NHL-led Olympics that Koivu wore the “C” for the first time, and when Finland defeated Wayne Gretzky and Canada, 3-2, in the bronze-medal game, Koivu’s legend only increased.

In 1999, he was given the honour of wearing the “C” for the Canadiens, the first-ever European captain for the storied franchise. It was a letter that adorned his “chandail” for ten years. Only the great Jean Beliveau wore it as long in team history.

Koivu’s career was punctuated by injury, and each and every time he fought back to resume playing at the highest level. He suffered bad injuries to his knees and legs as well as an eye injury that has affected his vision to this day, but nothing was as traumatic as when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He missed almost all of the 2001/02 season, including the 2002 Olympics, but as always he battled back and returned to a standing ovation.

Koivu’s participation in the World Championship was as faithful as any player of his era. His credo was simple – if I can play, I will. He took Finland to another gold-medal game in 1999, this time against the Czech Republic. The best-of-two format culminated with a sudden-death overtime, where Jan Hlavac’s goal forced Suomi to settle for a hard-fought silver.

In 2004, at the World Cup of Hockey, Koivu again wore the “C” and again took his team to the championship game, this time losing 3-2 to Canada. And in 2006, at the Turin Olympics, Finland capped another historic run to the finals before a narrow 2-1 loss to arch-rivals Sweden.

In all, Koivu participated in 11 top competitions for Finland, winning eight medals. In the NHL, he finished his career in Anaheim alongside Teemu Selanne before retiring in 2014. He played in some 1,124 regular-season games as well as 79 in the playoffs.

Never the biggest man on ice by height or weight, Koivu was a giant and legend in terms of skill, sportsmanship, and dedication. He battled through injuries and opponents with equal determination, and he achieved glory for his country as few players have in the game’s history.