Saku Antero Koivu is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League.
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35 Facts About Saku Koivu
2.
Saku Koivu was the first European player to captain the Montreal Canadiens.
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3.
Saku Koivu posted ten points in his rookie season, including five points in the playoffs, to help TPS to a Kanada-malja championship.
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4.
Saku Koivu 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.
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5.
Saku Koivu was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, following his rookie season in the SM-liiga, as their first round selection, 21st overall.
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6.
Saku Koivu missed 32 games that season but returned to finish with 56 points in 50 games.
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7.
Saku Koivu became the first European-born captain in team history.
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8.
Saku Koivu was on his way back from Finland with Canadiens teammate Brian Savage, who said he looked pale.
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9.
Saku Koivu was suffering serious stomach pains and vomiting and went to see the Canadiens' physician David Mulder, who, after several tests, discovered the cancer.
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10.
Saku Koivu received large numbers of get-well e-mails and letters from fans and was in touch with Mario Lemieux and John Cullen; hockey centres who had beaten cancer and made successful returns to the NHL.
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11.
Saku Koivu was expected to be out for the season but made a remarkable comeback in time for the last few games.
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12.
Saku Koivu helped the team to gain a playoff spot and they went on to beat the top-seeded Boston Bruins in six games.
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14.
Saku Koivu was rushed to the hospital, where he would remain overnight and for the remainder of the playoffs.
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15.
Saku Koivu remained out of the lineup for the rest of the series and underwent surgery to repair a detached retina during the off-season.
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16.
Saku Koivu has admitted to having lost some degree of peripheral vision out of the injured eye which he will likely never regain.
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17.
Saku Koivu has since opted to wear a larger style of visor than he had previously worn.
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18.
Saku Koivu went on to score 22 goals and 53 assists in 81 games, totaling 75 points, to surpass his previous career-high.
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19.
Saku Koivu replied to Bertrand's remarks that he is not perfect, and jokingly mentioned that he speaks French to his wife during intimate moments.
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20.
Saku Koivu reached another milestone with his 600th career point the following game against the Florida Panthers on October 20,2008.
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21.
Saku Koivu's tenure ended a ten-year period from 1999 to 2009 in which six Canadien team captains had previously been traded away.
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22.
Saku Koivu continued to serve as an alternate captain for the Ducks alongside Selanne.
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23.
On October 24,2013, Saku Koivu returned to Montreal for a second time as a Duck, and was welcomed by a standing ovation in what would be his last game at the Bell Centre.
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24.
On September 10,2014, Saku Koivu announced his retirement from the NHL after 18 seasons in the League.
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25.
Saku Koivu has represented Finland on several occasions and was the national team's captain; he was named successor of long-time captain Timo Jutila after he retired from international play in 1997.
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26.
Saku Koivu has held the post ever since, with one exception—for the 2008 IIHF World Championship—when he joined the team in the middle of the tournament.
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27.
Saku Koivu won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics and bronze medals at the 1994,1998 and 2010 Olympics Winter Olympics.
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28.
Saku Koivu was on the 2004 World Cup team, which advanced to the final but lost against Canada, thus winning silver.
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29.
Saku Koivu's most renowned achievement with Finland is as first line centre in the 1995 IIHF World Championship, where the Finns won their first IIHF men's gold medal.
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30.
Saku Koivu played in the first line with Jere Lehtinen and Ville Peltonen, the "Huey, Dewey and Louie" line, who were all selected as tournament all-stars.
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31.
Saku Koivu was regularly partnered with Teemu Selanne and Jere Lehtinen in a line if all three were available.
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32.
On February 23,2006, Saku Koivu was elected by his fellow Olympic competitors as a member of the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee.
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33.
Saku Koivu was born to Jukka and Tuire Saku Koivu on November 23,1974, in Turku.
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34.
Saku Koivu's younger brother Mikko is a former ice hockey player, who played for the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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35.
Saku Koivu is one of several cancer survivors appearing in the video.
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