TORONTO (September 10, 2014) – Saku Koivu announced his retirement today from the National Hockey League (NHL) after playing NHL 18 seasons.
Koivu played in a total of 1,124 career games with two NHL teams: the Montreal Canadiens and the Anaheim Ducks. His first 13 seasons were spent with the Canadiens – holding the team captaincy for 10 years, tying him with Jean Beliveau for the longest tenure in club history– before he moved on to play his final five seasons in Anaheim. Koivu scored 255 goals and 577 assists for 832 career points, recorded a plus-minus of +10, and also played in 80 playoff games where he contributed 18 goals, 41 assists and 59 postseason points. The Finnish centre also was twice named to the NHL All-Star Team (1998, 2003).
Koivu was a decorated international player, representing Finland at all major competitions: four times at the Olympics (1994, 1998, 2006, 2010), seven times at the World Championship (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2008), twice in the World Cup of Hockey (1996, 2004) and twice in the World Junior Championships (1992-93, 1993-94). In those tournaments, he helped his native country bring home an impressive total of nine medals– highlighted by the four medal-winning Olympic teams he was a part of, including a silver medal in 2006; four World Championship teams that medaled, including a gold medal in 1995 and a silver medal in 1994; and the 2004 World Cup team that won a silver medal.
