This evening at the Bell Centre in Montreal, the Canadiens will pay tribute to one their all-time great leaders and former captain, Saku Koivu. The ceremony preceding tonight’s matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and the Habs is sure to be an emotional affair as the team honours one of its’ true heroes.
Koivu spent the first fourteen years of his career in les bleu, blanc, et rouge, and served as captain for the last ten years of his stint with the Canadiens. During that span, he was the heart and soul of the team, and embodied the leadership and class that is expected from the leader of the Montreal Canadiens. Only one other player served as Captain for ten years in the HISTORY of this iconic franchise, the late great Jean Beliveau!
The Canadiens selected Koivu with their first round pick in 1993. The early stages of his career were marred with various injuries. Some fans foolishly began to question his toughness. Management however, saw that they had landed a tremendous leader, and despite the injuries, they named Koivu the clubs first European captain in September of 1999. This was quite an accomplishment in itself. The next decade would reveal why the Canadiens management made such a bold decision.
In September, of 2001, Koivu would be diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma after an excruciating flight back to his native land of Finland. He would appear in the pre-game ceremony at the Habs home opener that season. He looked extremely pale, had lost all of his hair, and the prognosis looked grim at best. Koivu would courageously battle the disease for almost the entire season.
Remarkably, on April 9, 2002, he would return to the ice. The ovation from the fans that evening was pure magic. Their leader had returned with just three games remaining in the regular season. Koivu would help the team to a much needed victory that night to secure one of the final playoff spots. He would also lead the way to a first-round upset of the Boston Bruins. The legend of Saku Koivu in the city of Montreal had reached a whole new level.
Unfortunately, in order for the captain of the Canadiens to continue to receive treatments for his condition he would have to travel to Sherbrooke, Quebec. The city of Montreal did not have the PET (Positron Emission Tomographer) Scanner needed to assess Koivu’s illness. Koivu set out to rectify this situation. With that, the Saku Koivu Foundation was born in November of 2002. Millions of dollars were raised through this charitable foundation and the city of Montreal was able to purchase their own PET scanner. Koivu himself made a sizeable contribution to the cause in order to help make this happen.
The impact that this purchase made is immeasurable. To date, upwards of 30,000 patients have been diagnosed and treated by this special piece of machinery, which allows doctors to diagnose and treat patients with cancer in the early stages before this deadly disease is able to spread. Thousands of lives have been impacted/saved in large part as a result of the courage shown by their captain.
Following the 2008-09 campaign Koivu became an unrestricted costless agent and sadly left the Canadiens for the Anaheim Ducks where he would play for four seasons before retiring prior to this season. The Ducks only visited the Bell Centre on two occasions during those years and predictably Koivu was greeted with standing ovations and named the First Star of the Game on his last visit.
Naturally, Koivu remains an incredibly popular figure and has garnered the respect of his peers and all hockey fans for his incredible charitable contributions. After leaving quietly for Anaheim, it is only fitting that he officially closes his career on a high note in the city where he is regarded as much more than a hockey player. Saku Koivu was and remains the ultimate role model. Much like the legendary Jean Beliveau, he exudes class. Always! Felicitations Saku! Merci Beaucoup!