Over the years, I have written about hockey an inordinate amount, I'm sure. My moods live and die by how the Montreal Canadiens do, at times during the hockey season.
I watched a short CBC piece today. Its subject was Saku Koivu, who is the captain of the Montreal Canadiens.
Saku Koivu, who is turning 34 in November, was drafted in 1993, 21st overall, by the Montreal Canadiens. He first started playing with the Habs in the 1995-1996 season. On September 30, 1999, Koivu was named the captain of the Montreal Canadiens. He was the 27th captain of the team and the first European-born player to serve as captain.
This captaincy came on the heels of a difficult time for the Habs, where it seemed rare that a captain lasted longer than a year before being traded. Chris Chelios was traded in 1990. Guy Carbonneau was traded in 1994, Kirk Muller was traded in 1995, Pierre Turgeon was traded in 1996 and Vincent Damphousse was traded in 1999.
The team has two, count 'em, two players on its roster who were around when Saku broke into the league in '95. Saku Koivu himself and Patrice Brisebois -- who has since spent two years in Colorado before re-signing with the Habs -- so it's almost shocking to see that my captain is still around and still serving as captain. The team has been completely rebuilt from the ground up.
He's not a power forward who scores goal after goal. He's a smart, fast playmaker who sets up goals and makes anyone near him look good. He's not 6'3" and 220 pounds, he's 5'10 and weighs 187. He's small and he's fast.
He had cancer and beat it to come back to the game. He had a bad eye injury and beat it to come back to the game. Countless knee injuries, broken bones, surgeries... and he always comes back.
Tonight, before 6 minutes of game time was even played, the Montreal Canadiens had given up two goals to the Anaheim Ducks. We were down 2-0 before scoring a goal on the power play and then, of course, Saku stepped up and scored the tying goal towards the end of the first period.
Saku leads by example, he doesn't like to lose and he works hard. He's spent his entire career, that's going on 14 seasons, with the Canadiens. The Habs have gone through some rough times over the years, seasons where we've missed the playoffs, where we can't sign good free agents because our dollar is historically weaker than the US dollar... And through it, there's Saku, hanging in there, hoping to win his first Stanley Cup in Montreal. He has the harshest judges of hockey in the world evaluating him every game -- the Montreal fans. We are vile and vicious creatures and this guy continues to show them he can play.
He doesn't speak a lot of French, which is something that the media and the francophones in Montreal have a bit of a problem with. But he does speak English, Finnish and Swedish. And it's the small things, the little things, that this guy does right. Sure, he has an interview in English with someone who's French -- but at the end, he says "merci", which is thank you in French.
He does all the little things right, on the ice and off.
Saku is in the last year of his contract. This could be the last year he plays as a Montreal Canadien. This could be his last chance to bring a Stanley Cup to Montreal.
Even the sportscasters are talking about how Saku's off to a great start this year, and it may be his last. They're remarking that he's been the captain for nine years.
And now, into the second period, we're down by a goal again, 4-3 Ducks.
I bet the Habs pull it off and win the game, with thanks to their captain.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
superswank!
