Last night, after the Flyers-Canadiens game, all the Finns who played for the two sides -- minus the Canadiens' Janne Niinimaa-- chatted in the hallway between the two dressing rooms. I was struck by the way the back-and-forth banter stopped and the other Finnish players all stopped to listen as Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu talked.
Koivu may have been discussing his eye injury. For all I know, he could have been telling them where to find the best mustamakkara in Montreal (which would probably be the Koivu residence). But the topic of conversation hardly matters. The important point was the obvious deep respect and admiration the other players had for Koivu.
Watching Koivu play last night, in a game where he outplayed Peter Forsberg head to head, made me think back to his arrival in Montreal some eleven years ago. Koivu came over from TPS Turku and the Finnish national team with a lot of hype and he's lived up to every bit of it, as much for the intangibles he brings as for his stats.
Koivu's NHL debut actually came against the Flyers on opening night of the 1995-96 season, on a night where the Flyers ran roughshod over the Habs (I believe it was 7-1 final, without looking it up). I remember that Koivu sustained a heavy hit from Eric Lindros -- who towers over him and outweighs him by a good 50 pounds-- and bounced right back up and into the play. That kind of set the tone for his career. He's frequently gotten bowled over by bigger, more powerful forces and yet keeps plugging away and coming back to thrive.
Whether it's been his courageous battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or the serious eye suffered in the playoffs last year, Koivu has always been a true warrior on the ice. It's always been privilege to watch him play.
A few years ago, a Swedish hockey writer I know told me he was debating the merits of Mats Sundin's leadership versus Koivu's with a Finnish-born colleague of his. He told me, for the sake of Swedish pride, he argued on behalf of Sudden.
Then, almost apologetically, he swore me to secrecy and added, "But if I had to choose one or the other for my team, I'd actually pick Koivu."
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I recently started a biweekly series on Philadelphia Flyers alumni for the Flyers' official site. The first installment looks at Jimmy Watson. In my opinion, with all due respect to Eric Desjardins, the younger Watson brother deserves serious consideration for the honor of best Flyers defenseman not named Mark Howe.
http://www.philadelphiaflyers.com/pressbox/alumniFeatures/2757.asp
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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