Saku Koivu

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FinlandFinland  Saku Koivu Ice hockey player
IIHF Hall of Fame , 2017
Saku Koivu
Date of birth 23rd November 1974
place of birth Turku , Finland
size 178 cm
Weight 83 kg
position center
number # 11
Shot hand Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft 1993 , 1st lap, 21st position
Canadiens de Montréal
Career stations
until 1995 TPS Turku
1995-2009 Canadiens de Montréal
2004-2005 TPS Turku
2009-2014 Anaheim Ducks

Saku Antero Koivu (born November 23, 1974 in Turku ) is a former Finnish ice hockey player . The center spent most of its career, which lasted from 1990 to 2014, with the Canadiens de Montréal in the National Hockey League , leading the team as team captain for ten seasons . From 2009 until his retirement in 2014 he was under contract with the Anaheim Ducks . Koivu, who had to interrupt his career in 2001 because of cancer , won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and became world champion with the Finnish national team in 1995 . His career was crowned with the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2017 .

Career

Saku Koivu was initially active for TPS Turku , for which he made his debut in the Finnish SM-liiga during the 1992/93 season . In his debut season, the striker and the team immediately won the Finnish championship, a success that was repeated two years later. During this time Koivu was voted SM-liiga Player of the Year in 1995 after having had an excellent 1994/95 season . The left-handed shooter had finished both the main round and the playoffs as the most successful points collector in the league and, in addition to the trophy for the most successful scorer, also received the award as the most valuable player in the main round, the playoffs and the entire season. In the same year he led the Finnish national team to their first world title in the world championships .

In the summer of 1995, the center transferred to North America and joined the Montréal Canadiens , of which the Finn had already been selected in the first round of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft in 21st position. He didn't become a top scorer, but he knew how to lead a team, which is why Koivu was named captain of the Habs in 1999 . However, due to injuries in his first season, the Finn only played 24 games with the "C" on his chest.

Koivu in the Montréal Canadiens jersey

He was diagnosed with cancer during the 2001-02 season . The treatment was positive and he returned to the team in the playoffs . In the first round, the Canadiens, led by Koivu, defeated the first-placed Boston Bruins . For his comeback he was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in July 2002 . In the same year Koivu founded the Saku Koivu Foundation , which deals with the fight against cancer. In the following season he set a personal record with 72 points.

Since the NHL season 2004/05 was canceled due to the lockout , Saku Koivu returned to his homeland to TPS, for which he played the season. His father Jukka Koivu was coach of the team at the time.

The 2005/06 NHL season took place again and Koivu reached the playoffs with Montréal. But in the third game of the first round against the Carolina Hurricanes , Carolinas stabbed Justin Williams in the eye of Koivu with the top of his stick. Koivu, bleeding from the ice, was immediately hospitalized. Williams called Koivu and apologized. Saku Koivu could not be used in the playoffs and underwent surgery on his damaged retina after the season. The following season he took part in the game again.

In 2007, he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and social engagement. After the 2008/09 season the contract of the long-time captain of the Canadiens ran out and Koivu decided to sign a contract with the Anaheim Ducks as a free agent . After another five years in Anaheim, Koivu declared his active career over in September 2014.

International

With the Finnish national team , he won bronze at the 1994 , 1998 and 2010 Olympics and finished second at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey , where he was elected to the All-Star Team. He also ran for Finland at the 2006 Olympic Games , together with his brother Mikko , and won the silver medal.

In the elections of the International Olympic Committee , which took place during the Games in Turin, Koivu was one of 15 athletes who applied for two vacancies on the Athletes' Commission. On February 23, 2006 he was elected together with the Canadian cross-country skier Beckie Scott and has been a member of the IOC for eight years. It received 412 of a total of 2003 votes cast by the participating athletes.

In 2017 Koivu was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame .

Achievements and Awards

International

Career statistics

Regular season Play-offs
season team league Sp T V Pt SM Sp T V Pt SM
1990/91 TPS Turku B-Jun.-SM-sarja 24 20th 28 48 26th - - - - -
1990/91 TPS Turku A-Jun.-SM-sarja 12 3 7th 10 6th - - - - -
1991/92 TPS Turku A-Jun.-SM-sarja 34 25th 28 53 57 8th 5 9 14th 6th
1992/93 TPS Turku SM-liiga 49 10 32 42 28 11 3 2 5 2
1993/94 TPS Turku SM-liiga 47 23 30th 53 42 11 4th 8th 12 16
1994/95 TPS Turku SM-liiga 45 27 47 74 73 13 7th 10 17th 16
1995/96 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 82 20th 25th 45 40 6th 3 1 4th 8th
1996/97 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 50 17th 39 56 38 5 1 3 4th 10
1997/98 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 69 14th 43 57 48 6th 2 3 5 2
1998/99 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 65 14th 30th 44 38 - - - - -
1999/00 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 24 3 18th 21st 14th - - - - -
2000/01 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 54 17th 30th 47 40 - - - - -
2001/02 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 3 0 2 2 0 12 4th 6th 10 4th
2002/03 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 82 21st 50 71 72 - - - - -
2003/04 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 68 14th 41 55 52 11 3 8th 11 10
2004/05 TPS Turku SM-liiga 20th 8th 8th 16 28 6th 3 2 5 30th
2005/06 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 72 17th 45 62 70 3 0 2 2 2
2006/07 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 81 22nd 53 75 74 - - - - -
2007/08 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 77 16 40 56 93 7th 3 6th 9 4th
2008/09 Canadiens de Montréal NHL 65 16 34 50 44 4th 0 3 3 2
2009/10 Anaheim Ducks NHL 71 19th 33 52 36 - - - - -
2010/11 Anaheim Ducks NHL 75 15th 30th 45 36 6th 1 6th 7th 6th
2011/12 Anaheim Ducks NHL 74 11 27 38 50 - - - - -
2012/13 Anaheim Ducks NHL 47 8th 19th 27 18th 7th 1 2 3 6th
2013/14 Anaheim Ducks NHL 65 11 18th 29 46 13 0 1 1 8th
A-Juniors-SM-liiga total 46 28 35 63 63 8th 5 9 14th 6th
SM-liiga total 158 61 92 153 171 41 17th 22nd 39 64
NHL overall 1124 255 587 832 809 80 18th 41 59 62

International

Represented Finland at:

year team event result Sp T V Pt SM
1992 Finland U18 European Championship 4th Place 6th 3 5 8th 18th
1993 Finland U20 World Cup 5th place 7th 1 8th 9 6th
1993 Finland WM 7th place 6th 0 1 1 2
1994 Finland U20 World Cup 4th Place 7th 3 6th 9 12
1994 Finland Olympia 3rd place, bronze 8th 4th 3 7th 12
1994 Finland WM 2nd place, silver 8th 5 6th 11 4th
1995 Finland WM 1st place, gold 8th 5 5 10 18th
1996 Finland World cup 5th place 4th 1 3 4th 4th
1997 Finland WM 5th place 6th 2 2 4th 2
1998 Finland Olympia 3rd place, bronze 6th 2 8th 10 4th
1999 Finland WM 2nd place, silver 10 4th 12 16 4th
2003 Finland WM 5th place 7th 1 10 11 4th
2004 Finland World cup 2nd place 6th 3 1 4th 2
2006 Finland Olympia 2nd place, silver 8th 3 8th 11 12
2008 Finland WM 3rd place, bronze 6th 0 3 3 4th
2010 Finland Olympia 3rd place, bronze 6th 0 2 2 6th
Juniors overall 20th 7th 19th 26th 36
Men overall 89 30th 64 94 78

( Legend for player statistics: Sp or GP = games played; T or G = goals scored; V or A = assists scored ; Pkt or Pts = scorer points scored ; SM or PIM = penalty minutes received ; +/− = plus / minus balance; PP = overpaid goals scored ; SH = underpaid goals scored ; GW = winning goals scored; 1  play-downs / relegation )

Web links

Commons : Saku Koivu  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ espn.com: "Saku Koivu retires after 18 seasons" (English, September 10, 2014, accessed on September 13, 2014)
personal data
SURNAME Koivu, Saku
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Koivu, Saku Antero (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Finnish ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH 23rd November 1974
PLACE OF BIRTH Turku , Finland