Mikko Koivu

Mikko-Sakari Koivu (born 12 March 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey centre. He played parts of 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. Outside of the NHL, he also played for TPS of the SM-liiga.

Koivu is a one-time Kanada-malja champion, winning with TPS in 2000. he is also a one-time All-Star, being named to the NHL ones in 2012. Internationally, Koivu played for Finland, winning a silver medal with them at the 2006 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Career
Before playing in the NHL, Koivu played parts of four seasons with TPS of the SM-liiga. He had a successful time with the TPS. He helped them during the playoffs. They defeated Lahti Pelicans and Oulun Kärpät. They defeated Tappara 5-1 in the final game to win the Kanada-malja championship.

He was drafted 6th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2001 NHL entry draft. He was immediately sent down to their AHL-affiliate Houston Aeros. On 5 November 2005, the Wild called him up and he made his NHL debut in a 3–1 win against the San Jose Sharks. The next night, Koivu his first NHL goal against Jean-Sébastien Giguère in a 4–3 shootout win against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. On 18 July 2006, Koivu signed a one-year contract to stay with the Wild. The 2006–07 season were productive for Koivu, as he finished it by scoring 20 and recording 34 assists for 54 points. Koivu had to miss most of the next season with different injuries including a broken bone in his leg after a slash by Vancouver Canucks player Mattias Öhlund. On 30 June 2007, Koivu signed a four-year, $13 million to stay with the Wild. On 9 October 2008, the Wild named Koivu as an alternate captain and also was in the rotation of captains for the team that season. On 20 October 2009, the Wild named Koivu as their first permanent captain of the team. On 16 July 2010, Koivu signed a seven-year, $47 million contract to stay with the Wild. The contract was a record for the Wild franchise. On 12 January 2012, Koivu was selected to play in his first NHL All-Star Game but was unable to play because of an injury. On 18 March 2014, Koivu became the Wild's all-time leading scorer with 438 points in 588 games. On 18 September 2017, Koivu signed a two-year, $11 million contract to stay with the Wild.

On 10 October 2020, Koivu signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract to join the Columbus Blue Jackets. Koivu only played 7 games for the Jackets, scoring 1 goal and recording 1 assist for 2 points. On 9 February 2021, Koivu announced that he was retiring from playing professional ice hockey.

On 13 March 2022, the Wild announced that they were retiring Koivu's jersey number 9. This made him the first number to be retired by the Wild franchise.

Personal life
Koivu's older brother Saku also played in the NHL for parts of 18 seasons with he NHL for the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks. 

References

 Other websites 

Category:1983 births
Category:Living people
Category:Columbus Blue Jackets players
Category:Finnish ice hockey centres
Category:Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players
Category:Ice hockey people from Turku
Category:Medalists at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Category:Minnesota Wild players
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
Category:Olympic silver medalists for Finland