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 (born March 12, 1983) is a former professional ice hockey player from Finland. He was chosen by the Minnesota Wild as the sixth player overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

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

He also played for the Finnish national team and was their captain when they won the gold medal at the 2011 World Championship.

Playing Career Highlights

Mikko Koivu started playing hockey in the Finnish junior leagues. When he was 17, he began playing for TPS in the SM-liiga during the 2000–01 season. 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. He continued to play with TPS for three more seasons before moving to North America.

Time with the Minnesota Wild

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). This was because the main NHL season was canceled that year.

The next season, Koivu played his first game in the NHL with the Wild. He scored 21 points in his first year. In the 2006–07 season, Koivu did even better, scoring 20 goals and 34 assists for 54 points.

During a game in his third season, Koivu got injured and missed 24 games. On June 30, 2007, the Wild signed Koivu to a new four-year contract.

Koivu faces off against Carolina's Jussi Jokinen in 2010

Before the 2008–09 season, Koivu was named a permanent alternate captain. The Wild used to change their captain every month. But Koivu started the 2008–09 season as the team captain for October and November.

On October 16, 2008, Koivu set a Wild team record by getting four assists in one game against the Florida Panthers. He also scored a goal, giving him five points in that game. 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.

Koivu became the first permanent captain in the history of the Wild team on October 20, 2009. He signed a big seven-year contract extension on July 16, 2010.

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

On March 18, 2014, Koivu became the Wild's all-time leading scorer. He had 438 points in 588 games. On February 28, 2016, Koivu played his 743rd game with the Wild. This made him the player with the most games played for the team.

On September 18, 2017, the Wild signed Koivu to another two-year contract. On February 6, 2019, Koivu had a serious knee injury. He missed the rest of the 2018–19 season. He finished that season with eight goals and 29 points in 48 games.

The Wild honored Koivu by retiring his 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 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.

International Play

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, where he won a silver medal.

He played in his second World Junior Championship in 2002. Finland won another bronze medal that year. These junior years were the start of Koivu's long teamwork with Tuomo Ruutu for the national team.

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. Finland won a silver medal there.

From 2006 to 2008, Koivu played in three straight World Championships. He helped Finland win a bronze medal in 2006 and a silver medal in 2007. In the 2008 World Championships, Koivu scored nine points in nine games, and Finland won the bronze medal.

Koivu was part of the team that won the bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In 2011, Koivu was the captain of the Finnish team that won its 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 miss the games because of an injury.

Koivu was again named captain of Finland for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. He was the only Finnish player to play in both the 2004 and 2016 tournaments.

Personal Life

Mikko Koivu's older brother is Saku Koivu. Saku was a longtime captain for the Montreal Canadiens. Their father, Jukka Koivu, used to be the head coach of TPS, where both Mikko and Saku played.

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 called M&N's Suite 4 Kids. He shares it with former teammates, and they donate it to children with serious medical conditions.

In 2011, Koivu served in the Finnish Army. On October 14, 2011, Koivu donated two rooms to the Minnesota Children's Hospital for their epilepsy and neurological unit.

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

Records and Awards

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

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play Statistics

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

See Also

• Notable families in the NHL
• List of Olympic medalist families