Saku Koivu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saku Koivu
Koivu in 2019
Born	(1974-11-23) November 23, 1974 (age 50) Turku, Finland
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	TPS Montreal Canadiens Anaheim Ducks
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	21st overall, 1993 Montreal Canadiens
Playing career	1992–2014
Medal record Men's ice hockey Representing  Finland Olympic Games Silver 2006 Turin Bronze 1994 Lillehammer Bronze 1998 Nagano Bronze 2010 Vancouver World Championships Gold 1995 Sweden Silver 1994 Italy Silver 1999 Norway Bronze 2008 Canada World Cup Silver 2004 World Cup of Hockey

Saku Antero Koivu (born November 23, 1974) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for many years. Saku started his NHL journey with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995. Before that, he played three seasons with TPS in Finland's top league.

Koivu was the captain of the Canadiens for ten years. This is the longest time anyone has been captain for the team, tied with Jean Béliveau. He was also the first European player to lead the Canadiens as captain. Saku also captained the Finnish national men's ice hockey team from 1998 to 2010. In 2017, he was honored by being added to the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Saku Koivu's Hockey Journey

Playing for TPS in Finland

Saku Koivu started his professional hockey career with TPS in Finland in 1992. In his first season, he scored 10 points and helped TPS win the Kanada-malja championship. The next year, he scored 53 points. In the 1994–95 season, he led the league with 73 points.

That year, Saku won several awards. He received the Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy for being the top scorer. Players also voted him the best player, giving him the Kultainen kypärä award. He was also named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) with the Lasse Oksanen trophy. He scored 17 points in the playoffs, earning the Jari Kurri trophy as playoff MVP. TPS won their second Kanada-malja trophy in three years.

Koivu returned to play for TPS during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. He scored 16 points in 20 games.

Time with the Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens picked Koivu in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was their first pick, 21st overall. After two more seasons in Finland, Koivu joined the Canadiens for the 1995–96 season. In his first NHL year, he scored 45 points, ranking fourth among new players.

The next season, he was scoring a lot of points before a knee injury in December 1996. He missed 32 games but still finished with 56 points in 50 games. In the following two seasons, Koivu missed games due to more leg injuries. But he still played over 60 games each year, scoring 57 and 44 points.

On September 30, 1999, Koivu was named the 27th captain for the Canadiens. He was the first European-born captain in the team's history. However, his first season as captain was cut short. He dislocated his shoulder and later had another knee injury. This limited him to only 24 games, where he scored 21 points. The next season, he missed 28 games after knee surgery.

Koivu being escorted to the penalty box by two referees during his career with the Montreal Canadiens

After six seasons in the NHL, Saku Koivu was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma on September 6, 2001. This is a type of cancer. He missed almost the entire 2001–02 season. Fans sent him many messages of support. He also talked with other hockey players, Mario Lemieux and John Cullen, who had beaten cancer.

Zdeno Chára and Saku Koivu

Everyone thought Koivu would miss the whole season. But he made an amazing comeback for the last few games. On April 9, 2002, fans gave him an eight-minute standing ovation when he skated onto the ice. Koivu helped the team make it to the playoffs. They even beat the top-ranked Boston Bruins. For his bravery and leadership during his cancer treatment, he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The next season, he scored a career-high 71 points.

Koivu had more knee problems in 2003–04, missing 13 games. During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, he played for TPS in Finland. His father, Jukka Koivu, was the coach. When the NHL started again in 2005–06, Koivu returned to the Canadiens. He scored 62 points in 72 games.

On April 26, 2006, during a playoff game, Koivu suffered a serious eye injury. A player's stick accidentally hit his left eye. Koivu was rushed to the hospital and missed the rest of the playoffs. He had surgery to fix a detached retina.

Koivu later said he lost some side vision in his injured eye. He also developed a small cataract, which was later removed. Because of this, he started wearing a larger visor to protect his eye.

His play the next season showed he was still a great player. On January 9, 2007, he reached 500 points in his NHL career. He finished the season with a new career-high of 75 points. Koivu also won the King Clancy Trophy for his work with the Saku Koivu Foundation, which helps fight cancer.

In October 2007, Koivu was asked about not speaking French in a video. He speaks English, Swedish, and Finnish well, but limited French. He joked that he speaks French to his wife at home. Later, he introduced his team in a video by saying, "Ici Saku Koivu, voici mon équipe" ("Saku Koivu here, this is my team"). He finished the season with 56 points. In the 2008 playoffs, he played with a broken foot but still got 9 points in 7 games.

Koivu faces off with Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks in 2009

On October 18, 2008, Koivu moved up to seventh on the Canadiens' all-time assists list. He passed Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Two days later, he reached his 600th career point.

Playing for the Anaheim Ducks

After the 2008–09 season, Koivu had been captain for ten years, tying Jean Béliveau. Koivu became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any team. On July 8, 2009, he signed a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks. He played alongside his fellow countryman, Teemu Selänne. Koivu was named an alternate captain for the Ducks. He scored his first goal for Anaheim on October 6, 2009.

After the 2009–10 season, where Koivu had his seventh straight 50-point season, he signed with the Ducks for two more years. He continued to be an alternate captain.

On January 22, 2011, Koivu returned to Montreal to play against the Canadiens as a Duck. Fans gave him a huge standing ovation.

On March 12, 2012, Koivu played in his 1,000th career NHL game. He signed another one-year contract with the Ducks in 2013.

On October 24, 2013, Koivu returned to Montreal again. He received another standing ovation in what would be his last game at the Bell Centre. In the 2013–14 season, Koivu played 65 games and scored 29 points. On June 19, 2014, the Ducks announced they would not offer him a new contract. On September 10, 2014, Saku Koivu announced he was retiring from the NHL after 18 seasons.

International Hockey for Finland

Koivu at the 2008 IIHF World Championship

Koivu played for Finland many times and was the national team's captain. He became captain in 1998 for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. He held this role until 2010.

Koivu won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He also won bronze medals at the 1994, 1998, and 2010 Winter Olympics. He was part of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey team that won silver after losing to Canada in the final.

Koivu's biggest success with Finland was at the 1995 IIHF World Championship. Finland won their first gold medal in this tournament. Koivu played on a famous line with Jere Lehtinen and Ville Peltonen. All three were chosen as tournament all-stars.

Koivu, Selänne, and Lehtinen often played together for Finland. Their great teamwork helped Finland succeed in many big events. This strong connection even led to Koivu signing with Anaheim in 2009, as Selänne had said he wanted to play with Saku in the NHL.

In 2006, Koivu was chosen by other Olympic athletes to be part of the Athletes' Commission for the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Saku Koivu's Family Life

Saku Koivu was born in Turku, Finland. His parents are Jukka and Tuire Koivu. His younger brother, Mikko, was also a professional ice hockey player. Mikko played for the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Saku Koivu is married to Hanna. They have two children: a daughter named Ilona (born 2004) and a son named Aatos (born 2006). In 2024, Aatos was drafted by the Canadiens, just like his father.

In 2008, the band Simple Plan included Koivu in their music video for the song "Save You." The song is about fighting cancer. Koivu was one of several cancer survivors who appeared in the video.

Awards and Honors

SM-liiga Awards

• Kanada-malja (Championship) – 1993, 1995
• Kultainen kypärä award (Best Player, voted by players) – 1995
• Jari Kurri trophy (Playoff MVP) – 1995
• Lasse Oksanen trophy (League MVP) – 1995
• Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy (Top Scorer) – 1995

NHL Awards

• Voted to the NHL All-Star Game by fans – 1998, 2003
• Bill Masterton Trophy (for perseverance and sportsmanship) – 2002
• King Clancy Memorial Trophy (for leadership and community work) – 2007
• First European-born captain of the Montreal Canadiens – 1999–2009
• Longest-serving captain in Canadiens history (tied with Jean Béliveau)

International Awards

• Ice Hockey World Championships Tournament All-Star – 1994, 1995, 1999
• Ice Hockey World Championships Tournament's Best Forward – 1995, 1999
• Ice Hockey World Championships Tournament's Top Scorer – 1999
• Finnish Ice Hockey Player of the Year – 1994, 1995
• 1998 Winter Olympics Top Scorer (tied with Teemu Selänne)
• 2006 Winter Olympics Tournament All-Star
• 2006 Winter Olympics Top Scorer (tied with Teemu Selänne)
• Captain of Finland national team – 1998–2010
• Inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame (2017)

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1992	Finland	EJC18	4th		6	3	5	8	18
1993	Finland	WJC	5th		7	1	8	9	6
1993	Finland	WC	7th		6	0	1	1	2
1994	Finland	WJC	4th		7	3	6	9	12
1994	Finland	OG			8	4	3	7	12
1994	Finland	WC			8	5	6	11	4
1995	Finland	WC			8	5	5	10	18
1996	Finland	WCH	QF		4	1	3	4	4
1997	Finland	WC	5th		6	2	2	4	2
1998	Finland	OG			6	2	8	10	4
1999	Finland	WC			10	4	12	16	4
2003	Finland	WC	5th		7	1	10	11	4
2004	Finland	WCH			6	3	1	4	2
2006	Finland	OG			8	3	8	11	12
2008	Finland	WC			6	0	3	3	4
2010	Finland	OG			6	0	2	2	6
Junior totals					20	7	19	26	36
Senior totals					89	30	64	94	78

See Also

• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
• List of family relations in the National Hockey League
• List of Olympic medalist families