yave1964 Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 In a bit of a shock Koivu called it a career today announcing his retirement, saying all theright things about not being able to find his game and it is time to move on. He was signed by Columbus to center their 4th line and take defensive zone draws, he was doing an okay job, 7 games played a goal and an assist but was actually struggling mightily on faceoffs winning only 45.7 pct. his ice time has been in decline, his last game was a 6-5 loss to Carolina and he drew only nine minutes of ice time and was a healthy scratch the next game. For his career all but this season with the Wild he played 1035 games with 711 points including 206 goals and was widely regarded as one of the top faceoff men of his era as well as being a stellar two way player. I have to wonder if the chaos of the Columbus locker room played a part in his decision to hang them up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 I'm not really shocked by his retirement. I was MORE shocked by his decision to continue on, post Minnesota, sign with another team after he seemingly made it clear he had his fill. We all know athletes don't always know when "it's time". In fact, most don't...especially those that are used to doing things at a very high level. My opinion is, when it was clear the Wild were going in a different direction, he decided THEN it might be "time"....but his fire to compete wouldn't allow it, so he goes and signs with a team still looking to 'win now', with a mostly defensive minded outlook (Koivu fits somewhere like that more than he does a team with a wide open style), and Columbus, OH is relatively close to his home in Minnesota, where he has planted firm family roots. But with the Jackets going through a bit of turmoil, and Koivu himself not satisfied with his own game, perhaps whatever fire he had in his belly finally was put out and he feels comfortable enough to call it a career, come home, and just enjoy his post-playing life with his family. He felt he could do some good in Columbus, but that simply wasn't happening. Glad he at least answered the question inside "What if?", tried to prolong his career, before finally closing it out. Better than to have been sitting at home after his Wild playing career wondering. I wish him the very best. He did what he could even though he wasn't near the 'superstar' the Wild organization tried to sell to the fanbase. To say he wasn't a factor in any success the Wild have had in becoming at least a regular playoff team is selling the man short. I will ALWAYS wonder if the Wild would have reached a Stanley Cup Finals at the very least had they not run into the dominating Blackhawks it seemed, every playoff year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynxrattle Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Too much commitment from the Wild to him and from him to the Wild. If he had left earlier he could have ended up as a Frank Selke/3C in a Cup winning team. It will haunt him for the rest of his life, looking at the ring his little big brother wears, never matching the achievements of Saku. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icechipper Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 (edited) Suspect he may be playing next year in Finland. Retired from NHL not professional hockey. To be a fly on the wall with the proud former captain and Torts telling him to lay down and block shots Edited February 10, 2021 by Icechipper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Didn't do much for CBJ but leaves as Minny's as the all time leader... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radoran Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 On 2/9/2021 at 4:58 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said: I was MORE shocked by his decision to continue on, post Minnesota, sign with another team after he seemingly made it clear he had his fill. I think the GM being named Kekalainen had something to do with coaxing him into seeing how he might fit as a 4th liner. On 2/9/2021 at 4:58 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said: But with the Jackets going through a bit of turmoil, and Koivu himself not satisfied with his own game, perhaps whatever fire he had in his belly finally was put out and he feels comfortable enough to call it a career, come home, and just enjoy his post-playing life with his family. No camp. Wacky schedule. Pandemic. Decided he was done. The Koivus are a great hockey family and have meant a great deal to the sport in a lot of places. Two of my favorite players. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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