Mikko Koivu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mikko Koivu
Koivu with the Minnesota Wild in 2011
Born	(1983-03-12) 12 March 1983 (age 42) Turku, Finland
Height	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	TPS Minnesota Wild Columbus Blue Jackets
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	6th overall, 2001 Minnesota Wild
Playing career	2000–2021
Medal record Ice hockey Representing  Finland Olympic Games Silver 2006 Turin Bronze 2010 Vancouver World Championships Gold 2011 Slovakia Silver 2016 Russia Silver 2007 Russia Bronze 2008 Canada Bronze 2006 Latvia World Cup Silver 2004 Toronto World Junior Championships Silver 2001 Russia Bronze 2002 Czech Republic World Junior U18 Championships Gold 2000 Switzerland Bronze 2001 Finland

Mikko Koivu is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He was born on March 12, 1983. Koivu was chosen sixth overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild.

After playing for four seasons with TPS in the SM-liiga in Finland, Koivu joined the Wild in 2005. He played for fifteen seasons in Minnesota. For eleven of those seasons, he was the team's captain. He set several team records, including most games played, assists, and points scored. Koivu retired from hockey in 2021, after a short time with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Internationally, Koivu was the captain of the gold medal-winning Finnish national team at the 2011 World Championship.

Mikko Koivu's Hockey Journey

Mikko Koivu started his hockey career playing in the Finnish junior leagues. When he was 17, in the 2000–01 season, he began playing for TPS in the SM-liiga. This was the same team his older brother, Saku Koivu, also played for.

The Minnesota Wild picked him sixth overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Even after being drafted, he continued to play with TPS for three more seasons.

Playing for the Minnesota Wild (2005-2020)

Koivu moved to North America for the 2004–05 season. He played for the Houston Aeros, which was Minnesota's team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The main NHL season was canceled that year.

He played his first NHL game with the Wild in November 2005. This was after he got injured during the preseason. In his first season, he scored 21 points. After that, he signed a one-year contract with the Wild in July 2006.

In the 2006–07 season, Koivu played even better. He scored 20 goals, had 34 assists, and earned 54 points, which was his best season so far. However, injuries slowed him down in his third season. In a game against the Vancouver Canucks, a player named Mattias Öhlund hit him with his stick, breaking a bone in Koivu's leg. Koivu missed 24 games because of this injury.

In June 2007, the Wild signed Koivu to a new four-year contract.

Koivu facing off against Jussi Jokinen in 2010

Before the 2008–09 season, Koivu was named a permanent alternate captain. The Wild used to rotate their captaincy each month. But Koivu started the 2008–09 season as the team captain for October and November. Even though many thought he would become the permanent captain, he was replaced by Kim Johnsson in December. He then went back to being an alternate captain. In January 2009, Koivu was again named the Wild captain.

On October 16, 2008, Koivu tied a Wild team record. He had four assists in one game against the Florida Panthers. He also scored a goal, giving him a career-high five points in that game. The Wild won 6–2. In July 2009, it was announced that Koivu would be on the cover of the Finnish version of the EA Sports video game NHL 10. He was also voted the best Finnish player in the league by NHL.com.

Koivu became the first permanent captain in Wild team history on October 20, 2009. The next year, in July 2010, he signed a big seven-year contract extension. This contract was worth $47 million and started in the 2011–12 season.

On January 12, 2012, Koivu was chosen for his first NHL All-Star Game. However, he could not play due to an injury.

On March 18, 2014, Koivu scored three points in a 6–0 win against the New York Islanders. By doing this, he became the Wild's all-time leading scorer with 438 points in 588 games.

On February 28, 2016, Koivu played his 744th game with the Minnesota Wild. This meant he passed Nick Schultz to hold the record for most games played for the team.

In September 2017, the Wild signed Koivu to a two-year contract extension.

On February 6, 2019, Koivu was ruled out for the rest of the 2018–19 season. He had torn his Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his right knee. This happened the night before in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. He finished that season with eight goals and 29 points in 48 games.

The Wild retired Koivu's number 9 jersey on March 13, 2022. He was the first player in the team's history to receive this special honor.

Columbus Blue Jackets (2020-2021) and Retirement

On October 10, 2020, Koivu left the Wild after 15 years. He signed a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. On February 9, 2021, Koivu announced he was retiring from the NHL. He had played only seven games for the Blue Jackets, scoring one goal and one assist.

Playing for Finland

Koivu at the 2008 World Championships

As a junior player, Koivu played in two World Junior U18 Championships. He won a gold medal in 2000 and a bronze medal in 2001. In 2001, Koivu also played in the World Junior Championships. He earned a silver medal there and had three assists.

He played in his second World Junior Championship in 2002. He scored five points in six games as Finland won another silver medal. This was Koivu's fourth and final medal in junior international play. During these junior years, Koivu often played with Tuomo Ruutu. They became a strong duo, much like his older brother Saku and Teemu Selänne.

Before playing in the AHL, Koivu played in the 2004 World Cup. Finland finished second to Canada. Two years later, he played in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Koivu did not score any points, but Finland won a silver medal.

Starting in 2006, Koivu played in three World Championships in a row. He helped Finland win a bronze medal in 2006 with four points. The next year, in 2007, he also had four points as Finland won a silver medal. In the 2008 World Championships, Koivu was a key player. He scored nine points in nine games, and Finland won the bronze medal. He was asked to join the team in 2009 and 2010 but could not due to injuries.

Koivu was part of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. In 2011, Koivu accepted the invitation and led Finland as the team captain. They won their second gold medal at the World Championships.

Koivu was also chosen to play for Finland at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. However, he had to withdraw because of an injury he got while playing in the NHL.

Koivu was again named captain of the Finnish team for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. He was the only Finnish player to return to this tournament after playing in the 2004 event.

Mikko Koivu's Life Outside Hockey

Mikko Koivu's older brother is Saku Koivu. Saku was a longtime captain for the Montreal Canadiens. Their father, Jukka Koivu, used to coach TPS, where both Mikko and Saku played. Mikko is also friends with Tuomo Ruutu and his former Minnesota teammate, Kurtis Foster.

Mikko, his brother Saku, and Miikka Kiprusoff are part owners of HC TPS Turku Oy. This company runs the TPS Turku hockey team.

Koivu spends his summers with his family and friends in his hometown of Turku, Finland. He owns a special suite at the Xcel Energy Center. He shares it with former teammates Niklas Bäckström and Nick Schultz. This suite is called M&N's Suite 4 Kids, and they donate it to children with serious medical conditions. In 2011, Koivu also donated two rooms to the Minnesota Children's Hospital's epilepsy and neurological unit.

Koivu married Helena Koivu in 2014. They have one daughter and two sons. They divorced in 2020. In October 2024, Koivu married Natalie Dillon.

Achievements and Awards

• Won the Finnish Championship (Kanada-malja) in 2000–01.
• Won silver in the 2003–04 SM-liiga season.
• Won the SM-Liiga regular season trophy (Harry Lindblad Memorial Trophy) in 2003-04.
• Tied the Minnesota Wild record for most assists in a game (4 assists). He did this on October 16, 2008, and again on January 2, 2011.
• Became the first permanent captain for the Minnesota Wild on October 20, 2009.
• Selected for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, but could not play due to injury.
• Won a Gold Medal at the IIHF World Championship in 2011 as captain of Team Finland.
• Became the Minnesota Wild's all-time leader in power-play points (as of October 5, 2015).
• Became the Minnesota Wild's all-time leader in points (709 as of October 10, 2020).
• Became the Minnesota Wild's all-time leader in games played (1,028 as of October 10, 2020).
• Was a finalist for the Selke Trophy in the 2016-17 season.
• Was the first player in Minnesota Wild history to play 1,000 NHL games with the same team (as of December 1, 2019).
• Was the first player to have his number retired by the Wild.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000	Finland	WJC18			7	0	4	4	8
2001	Finland	WJC			7	0	3	3	8
2001	Finland	WJC18			6	2	3	5	6
2002	Finland	WJC			7	1	5	6	4
2004	Finland	WCH			4	0	1	1	2
2006	Finland	OG			8	0	0	0	6
2006	Finland	WC			9	2	2	4	8
2007	Finland	WC			9	2	2	4	26
2008	Finland	WC			9	4	5	9	6
2010	Finland	OG			6	0	4	4	2
2011	Finland	WC			9	2	6	8	4
2012	Finland	WC	4th		10	3	8	11	4
2016	Finland	WC			10	4	6	10	12
2016	Finland	WCH	8th		3	0	0	0	0
Junior totals					27	3	15	18	26
Senior totals					77	17	34	51	70

More About Mikko Koivu

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• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played