MONTREAL, QC.– What is your most memorable Saku Koivu moment?
Perhaps, like me, you had a tear in your eye when you witnessed Koivu skate out to an extended standing ovation at the Molson Centre on April 9, 2002 after returning from cancer treatments that had kept him out for almost the entire season. Maybe you were devastated when on April 26, 2006 you witnessed Koivu being struck in the eye by Carolina Hurricanes forward Justin Williams. For others, you will recall the magic of Koivu with Teemu Selanne with the pair tying for the tournament lead in scoring at the 2006 Olympics in Turin where Finland earned a silver medal.
I will take a different tact and relate a more personal event.
The story begins three years ago in an aisle of my local IGA grocery store. I stood beside my cart focused on the shelves trying to make a terribly important decision like what kind of canned soup tastes like anything (answer: none). My concentration was abruptly interupted as another shopping cart slammed into mine.
I turned to see that it wasn’t a normal cart but one of the extended ones — you know, the kind with an amusement ride bolted to the front of it. There was a young blond girl in the “driver’s seat” of the green plastic attachment. The reason for the ‘crash’ became clear as behind the cart, I noticed a gentleman with a young boy climbing on his head.
The RVs of the grocery world look hard enough to steer as it is, but more difficult when your vision is obscured by a rambunctious two-year old.
When the boy was peeled off his dad, I recognized it was Saku Koivu shopping with his daughter Ilona and son Aatos. Koivu was quick to apologize for the minor bump. We exchanged a few words and then each went on our way in opposite directions.
Funny thing is, that we met and passed each other for the next three or four aisles. Each time Koivu either apologized again, nodded or smiled.
By the time we reached the cashier, Saku’s wife, Hanna had caught up with her family. While I waited for my groceries to be bagged, Koivu came over with his son in arms. We talked for several minutes about the Canadiens and hockey in general.
As I picked up the bags to leave, Koivu patted me on the arm, thanking me for writing about the team and for being a Canadiens fan.
The chance meeting is one that I won’t soon forget. Koivu was sincere, humble and personable. It was unlike any other encounter I’ve had with a professional athlete.
I met a world-class hockey player, the second-longest serving captain of the Montreal Canadiens and a cancer survivor. But on that day I admired a down-to-earth family man and a truly class human-being.
Leave a comment and tell us your favorite Saku Koivu moment.
(photo by Getty)
Like you, my most memorable moment was off the ice. I went to one of those meet and greets at a sports store. We were instructed that we can only get one thing signed. When it was my turn, Koivu made me feel like we were the only ones in the room. I had multiple images of him and he signed them all without hesitation. When we were in conversation he maintained eye contact at all times and never made me feel rushed out for the next person. You can tell a lot about someone from their body language, and with Koivu you knew that he was simply a great human being. We played the Leafs that night, I asked him if we’ll see a lot of Hab goals because I’d be at the game, he responded “only if you cheer loud for us.”
His great playoff run after returning from cancer. More specifically, that backhand goal he scored against boston.
Without referring to one of the moments that everyone will cite as their favorite memory, mine are both rather personal but boring.
The first is when I pulled a Saku Koivu hockey card out of a pack of Upper Deck cards from 92-93. It was a subset of World Junior cards, and while Koivu wasn’t yet property of the Habs, his name, his pose on the card, and his smile on the back of the card made me like him instantly. I was overjoyed when the Canadiens selected him.
The second is a more recent memory and not only a bit of a stretch, but is also a bit of an exercise in futility. In mid-2010 my wife and I were busy trying to come up with a name for our unborn daughter. Clearly I couldn’t name a girl Saku, lest she hate me forever, but I could pay tribute to one of my all-time favorite Habs by naming her after his wife, Hanna, a beautiful and classy lady in her own right. I lost the battle (I don’t know if I ever made it clear why I was campaigning for Hanna), but if daughter #2 comes ever comes around, I’ll push a little harder next time.
I have heard your story before, but it is very nice to read it with some additional details. Thanks for starting my day with “a picture”.
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