Few years gone, views on Koivu.

[InglewoodJack]

Saku was an inspiration, and like everyone else has said here, he was pretty much the only bring spot on really, really really bad teams. When we look back on the period between pretty much our last cup and the free agent boom of 2009, the thing people remember is "Saku Koivu"; he was our definitive player, team identity and by definition our generational great for that period. Sure if you threw Koivu on one of the hall of fame teams during the golden years he gets overshadowed by Habs legends, but for a very long period of time, he was the Montreal canadiens. He embodies all the values the team is allegedly built upon, he was directly responsible for garnering a hockey interest in pretty much any fan born between 1990-2000, he was one of the most, if not the most significant athlete in Montreal in the past 25 years, and he pretty much represents a huge period of time in Habs history. Sure it's been a rough couple decades, but he was responsible for so much joy to so many people in such a dark period.

I think that coming back from cancer and the impact he made on Montreal's community is icing on the cake. I think the biggest knock on him is that people deify the greats who won all the cups all those years ago, and underrate the newer guys because they were guys who they actually saw play, not just a part of habs folklore. How many retired numbers were part of the supporting cast on the cup runs? How many retired numbers would've done a better job than Koivu given the same tools he was? We all want to cling to this identity of the Habs as a team with a long tradition of winning, but the reality is, we haven't won a cup in 21 years which as of this season is exactly 20% of our history. So for 20% of our history, the best player and pretty much team identity was Saku Koivu, and I think that he's played too much of a significant part in our history to be snubbed from a number retirement just because he didn't win a cup.

Now guys like Markov or Theodore and to a lesser extent Plekanec, Damphousse, Gionta, Ribiero, they've all played a big part in the successes of the team in that span, but no one in my opinion comes close to being as definitive and as important to the Canadiens of the last two decades as Saku Koivu.

As for his remaining years, I dream of signing him as a 3rd line support player and winning a cup with him, but either way I think that giving him a 1 day contract to have him retire as a Hab is a must. That being said, if he plays say, 3 more years he'll have 8 years as a Duck. At that point, he could just retire as a duck because that's a pretty significant chunk of his career spent on another team.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Shed a tear when he came back from beating cancer and always liked him as a player but he perpetuated the mediocrity of the Habs during his stay, he was really nothing more than a slightly above average player - kind of like a Plekanec now - which is good when he gets a lesser role but when that's considered your best you're in trouble, in their prime these guys would be 3rd line C on the Kings

 

[MaxChart]

Good player on bad teams.

No way his number should be retired.

If we were Colombus maybe.

 

[MauriceMaxwell]

Koivu was my favourite player for a long time and I will always have a soft spot for him. That being said when you look at the numbers that hang from the rafters at the Bell Centre, Koivu doesn't meet the standards set by those players. The fact that he is such a class act off the ice doesn't change that. He should be honoured though and I'm certain you'll see a Saku Koivu night at the Bell Centre after he does retire.

 

[gunnerdom]

Koivu was and still is my favourite player. And I've been watching the Habs religiously since 1984.

He was an exceptional player who got terrible knee injuries way to early in his career. When he first started, he used to fly on the ice but as soon as his knees got hurt, it slowed him down quite a bit. Still a warrior and he never took a shift off.

He always made the players on his line much better than they actually were. i.e. Savage and Zednik. I would've loved to see him play with a Pacioretty type player back in the day.

Really hope he retires as a Habs.

 

[donghabs98]

Good player on bad teams.

No way his number should be retired.

If we were Colombus maybe.

The requirement for deserving a jersey retirement is very high in Montreal compared to other teams. I have no doubt that Koivu's number would be retired if he played on any other team like Carolina or Tampa but the fact is there are many other players who probably deserve to have their number retired before Saku and that is nothing against Saku or what he did on some pretty bad teams but it's the reality of jersey retirements in Montreal. The bar is set pretty high.

 

[the]

I still don't understand why Uncle
Bob did what he did in 2009...

Anybody remembers that Tanguay-Koivu-Kovalev line? If only he had good players on his line...

 

[habsfanatics*]

He'll always be my favorite player, when Bob Gainey lost his mind I felt like giving up on this team entirely. I do feel Saku's number deserves to be retired.

 

[donghabs98]

I still don't understand why Uncle
Bob did what he did in 2009...

Anybody remembers that Tanguay-Koivu-Kovalev line? If only he had good players on his line...

If only that line was put together a lot earlier.

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

My favorite player of all time, the entire time Koivu was with the Habs he was surrounded by absolute garbage, no way guys like Beliveau or Richard are winning cups with the likes Koivu had to work with. The simple fact is, Saku doesn't measure up against the Habs all time greats, and the bar has just been set too high, for him to ever have his number retired. But I definitely want to see him honored when he retires, and would love to see him sign one of those 1 day contracts to retire a hab.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Give him a 1 game deal so he can retire a Hab.

 

[yianik]

Loved the guy, he gave everything he had every game.

Wish we had not thrown away our great center depth in his first couple of years here as he became our only good center and teams could just focus on his line.

Wish we could have gotten him long term skilled wingers with size who could have carried the physical load, so he could have been letting his skills loose instead of constantly battling for pucks in the corners against guys 4-5 inches taller and 30-40 lbs bigger than him. Wore him down.

Love him, wish he had retired a Hab, but do not see how his number gets retired.

 

[Stripper]

Didn't like hockey at the time and have no clue with what he has done. He's part of the past and that's all I can say. Sadly, I don't care enough to do some research about him because it'll amount to nothing. His time is done here and only the futur awaits us.

 

[InglewoodJack]

Didn't like hockey at the time and have no clue with what he has done. He's part of the past and that's all I can say. Sadly, I don't care enough to do some research about him because it'll amount to nothing. His time is done here and only the futur awaits us.

"I have literally nothing to say"

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Didn't like hockey at the time and have no clue with what he has done. He's part of the past and that's all I can say. Sadly, I don't care enough to do some research about him because it'll amount to nothing. His time is done here and only the futur awaits us.

...I'd say thanks for sharing, but I'd much rather say something that the MODS wouldn't appreciate...

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

The thing about Koivu is that our entire team was buit around him. The only challenge to this during most of his stay here was Ribeiro, and look at what happend to him.

And yet the three times he lead the team in scoring, they failed to make the playoffs. He certainly a fun player to watch, a fan favorite but he would have been better suited as a no. 2 centre, IMO.

And as inspiring and public as his battle with cancer was at the time there are tens of thousands people who beat cancer every year, all ordinary joes and even young children who don't get premium healthcare like he did, who don't get a ten minute ovation, who don't have millions of dollars in the bank or an athlete's stamina in the first place. Treating him like some sort of god because "he beat cancer" makes me a bit sick.

Post like this makes sick because it's so ignorant.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Whole reason I started watching not just the Habs, but hockey as a whole. He became my favorite player and I still cannot watch Duck games without cringing because he just doesn't look right in anything but a Habs jersey. I wish we'd sign him for one year, just one season, even as a fourth line centre. That would be amazing beyond words. I know he never accomplished as much as he could here, given the dire states of the 90s, but dammit if he wasn't one of the best captains of this franchise.

 

[rickthegoon]

Saku was a good hard working player, always showed up despite being on a terrible team. But no way he's ever having his jersey up on the rafters.
Maybe was put in a bad situation when given the C, if you think about it, the captain spot has lost a whole lotta glamour with the Habs recently.....from 94 to 99 ; 6 different captains, then Koivu, and recently the least deserving of the all, Gionta.
In my opinion, the last player in recent history who wore the C deservingly has been Capt. Kirk, since then, just a whole lot of weak leadership.

 

[Halifaxhab*]

Hard worker, great heart and sould type. Had he been on a team like this years he would have been able to do so mych more, but was in our dead zone into the beggining of the transition to respectability.

Was a really good 2nd line C that was forced into a larger role.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

He was good, was here forever, greatly beloved in his time here, could have been better had he been healthier, that was unfortunate.

However, I got a feeling that time won't do Saku's legacy any good, especially if this current build of the Habs makes it to the Finals or wins the cup. He was captain of a team that didn't go anywhere, not that it was entirely his fault, and time will make it that eventually people will overlook the context.

Who was the greatest Canadien between Saku Koivu & Andrei Markov would be a GREAT question to ask.

Not that it was at ALL his fault. For the decade of hockey between Roy and Halak/Price, here's who represented us between the pipes: Goalie list. Here's who played on defense: Defensemen list. And here are the top scorers from the same period: Points totals.

If you look at those lists - just as a starting point - and don't find more than a handful of "problems" before you even get around to considering Koivu, I don't even know what to say. He wasn't just another generic part of a tough time, he was a diamond in the rough who stuck out way above those around him.

 

[DAChampion]

Post like this makes sick because it's so ignorant.

Everybody's ignorant of cancer until they see what it can do.

 

[MasterD]

Whole reason I started watching not just the Habs, but hockey as a whole. He became my favorite player and I still cannot watch Duck games without cringing because he just doesn't look right in anything but a Habs jersey. I wish we'd sign him for one year, just one season, even as a fourth line centre. That would be amazing beyond words. I know he never accomplished as much as he could here, given the dire states of the 90s, but dammit if he wasn't one of the best captains of this franchise.

Eller for Saku and 2nd rd pick.


I like Eller, but I like Saku that much more. And Eller's days are counted as a Hab unless we trade Plekanec.

 

[bjac]

We will most likely never know the truth about the Koivu-Ribeiro saga.
Some of it was revelealed by Rejean Tremblay at that time.

But since then: Gainey, Carbonneau, Koivu, Ribeiro, Rivet and others never said a word about it.

One thing for sure: Ribeiro was traded as fast as possible for Niniima (almost like the Roy trade).
Two years later, Koivu is let go for nothing...

Then why are you talking about it as if you know the truth, or have some sort of inside track on this information?

You are blaming Koivu for the Gomez trade? You need to take a step back and get a clue. That was managements fault.

 

[ThaDevilGirl]

I liked Saku when he was here.

I moved on.

 

[optimus2861]

Not that it was at ALL his fault. For the decade of hockey between Roy and Halak/Price, here's who represented us between the pipes: Goalie list. Here's who played on defense: Defensemen list. And here are the top scorers from the same period: Points totals.

If you look at those lists - just as a starting point - and don't find more than a handful of "problems" before you even get around to considering Koivu, I don't even know what to say. He wasn't just another generic part of a tough time, he was a diamond in the rough who stuck out way above those around him.

^ This.

I will always have fond memories of Saku Koivu's time with the Canadiens. He brought it, every night. I got to see him score 2 goals against the Maple Leafs and be named 1st star; a personal highlight amongst the NHL games I've attended. He was a warrior, he was a leader, he did the CH on his jersey proud. It isn't his fault that his tenure here coincided with some of the very worst teams the Canadiens have ever iced; it's a damn shame. I would have dearly loved to see him hoist a Cup with us. There aren't many players out there more deserving of it, and sadly it seems he's not going to get it.

I do hope he gets some kind of retirement ceremony with the Canadiens when he hangs up his skates. Not a full number retirement, but something appropriate.