Montreal Canadiens Honor Saku Koivu Tonight

When a player retires from play, I’m certain that he would love nothing more than to leave a lasting impression of his play and his personality. In Koivu we have a man who will be remembered both for his courage off the ice as well as on it. But his legacy won’t be due to his work on the ice, and instead to the cancer foundation he founded and all of his charitable work through the years.

But we’re numbers guys, so let’s take a look at how he effected the game.

SM-liiga (1992-1995)

NHL (1995-2014)

World Junior/IIHF European Jr Championship

International Stage

What these numbers underline is a feisty player who excelled at not only getting on the score sheet, but who was a model of consistency. I’ve always felt that had Saku Koivu been able to avoid the numerous injuries that plagued his career, he would easily have been a point per game player with outstanding totals.

Saku Koivu never did win the Stanley Cup, but he did medal at numerous international events, including capturing a World Championship in 1995, and capturing a silver medal at the Olympics in 2006. He did win two SM-liiga championships while he played for the league between 1992 and 1995, having also been the league’s leading scoring and MVP. Here’s a tally of his greatest on ice moments and trophy room;

SM-liiga Kultainen kypärä award (Players choice for the best player) (1995)
SM-liiga Jari Kurri trophy (Playoff MVP) (1995)
SM-liiga Lasse Oksanen trophy (MVP) (1995)
SM-liiga Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy (League leader in points) (1995)
NHL All-Star Game (1998, 2003)
Bill Masterton Trophy (2002)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2007)
World Championships All-Star (1994, 1995, 1999)
World Championships Best Forward (1995, 1999)
World Championships Leading scorer (1999)
Finnish Ice hockey player of the year (1994, 1995)
1998 & 2006 Winter Olympics – Top scorer (Tied with Teemu Selänne)
2006 Winter Olympics All Star
1 Olympic silver medal and 3 bronze Olympic medals
1 World Championship gold medal, 2 silvers medals and 1 bronze
1 World Cup of Hockey silver medal
Captain of Team Finland (1998-2010)
10 seasons as captain of the Montreal Canadiens (1999-2009)
During his time with the Montreal Canadiens there are two accomplishments that Saku will also hold, one is being the first ever European player to wear the “C” as a Hab, and the second is that he’s tied for the longest tenured caption in team history. A distinction he shares with the late Jean Beliveau. Of those two I would like to believe he holds the second higher in his esteem than the first.

Saku was a great NHL players, but his exploits on the international stage are truly something special. No, he never won an Olympic gold medal, but he did come very close in 2006, going home with a silver medal. He was captain of the Finnish team for twelve years! Collecting a haul of 1 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze medals at the various events he played in. He’s one of a few players who can say that he went to the Olympic Games 4 times, and medaled 4 times. That is nothing short of astonishing for a player who doesn’t play on Team Canada.

His name is still on the Montreal Candiens all-time scoring leaders for assists (6th), points (10th), powerplay goals (5th), Short-handed goals (9th), game winning goals (7th), and shots (10th). I was surprised myself at how often his name occurs in the top 10 in some of the categories, especially since the Habs have such a long and storied history. If only they had surrounded the man with more talented, bigger bodies…

When the Canadiens greet Saku Koivu tonight at the Bell Center, I’m certain the crowd will honor him in their own way, serenading not just the hockey player, but the man who was for a long time, the only great player on a team devoid of much talent. At one point he was the only reason to even watch the games as the Canadiens struggled through a dark period in their storied history. I don’t expect an 8 minute ovation that he received when he miraculously came back from his cancer battle in the 2001-2002 season, but I expect he’ll feel the love.

So tonight, whether you are at the game or like me watching from home, tip your cap to the perhaps one of the greatest captains to ever grace this organization. One remembered not for the cups he didn’t bring in, but for the perseverance and class in which he led the Canadiens with grit and grace through the worst times in franchise history.

Thanks for reading.