Saku Koivu

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Born
1974 (51 years old)
Shiny National flag

Turku, Finland

Position
Forward/Center

Status
Retired

Ethnicity
White

Team Number

Height
5 ft 10 in (178 cm)

Weight
181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb)

Outfitter

Kit

Side
Left

Wage Year

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Player Cartoon

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Sport

Ice Hockey

Team
_Retired Ice Hockey

League
_No League Ice Hockey

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Description

Saku Antero Koivu (pronounced ; born 23 November 1974) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1995–96 after three seasons with TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga. Koivu served as the Canadiens' captain for ten of his 14 years with the club, making his captaincy tenure the longest in the team's history, tied with Jean Béliveau. Koivu was the first European player to captain the Canadiens. He also served as captain of the Finnish national men's ice hockey team from 1998 to 2010, and was inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame in 2017.

Playing career
TPS (SM-liiga)
Koivu began his professional ice hockey career playing for TPS in the Finnish SM-liiga, beginning in 1992–93. He posted ten points in his rookie season, including five points in the playoffs, to help TPS to a Kanada-malja championship. After improving to 53 points the following season, he put up a league-high 73 points in 1994–95. In addition to earning the Veli-Pekka Ketola trophy as league scoring champion, Koivu was awarded the Kultainen kypärä award as the players' choice for the best player and the Lasse Oksanen trophy as league MVP. He went on to record 17 points in 13 post-season games that year to earn the Jari Kurri trophy as playoff MVP and win his second Kanada-malja trophy in three years with TPS.

Koivu would return to the TPS squad during the 2004–05 NHL lockout, scoring eight goals and eight assists in 20 games.

Trophies