Habster:
There are players (ie-Carey Price, the Kostitsyns, Mike Komisarek and the entire Smoke & Fire line) who may have played bigger roles in the Canadiens eliminating the pesky Bruins but there is no mistaking the positive influence and affect Saku Koivu has on his teammates.
There is an undeniable respect and allure that surrounds Koivu, both on and off the ice. Whether it’s his unbelievable determination to beat cancer or his recovery from a terrible eye injury, Saku has always persevered and returned stronger because of it.
Even his critics who unfairly knock him for absolute stupidity concerning language issues, have to admire the man for his constant charitable work and the millions of dollars he has raised for cancer.
His off ice work has positively affected the lives of so many people outside of hockey that we tend to forget the great infuence that he has on the ice as well.
The Habs were lucky to be ahead of the series 3-1 after the first four games and appeared to be a lock to eliminate the Bruins. The fans, media and the players were all confident of the end results before game #5 was even played at the Bell Centre.
After losing game #5 in a lopsided 5-1 game and then losing a heart breaker in Boston for game #6, all the momentum was on the Bruins side with the final game #7 heading back to Montreal.
Not even a valiant effort of their returning captain could pull out the victory but what his presence in the lineup did was set a calming influence on the younger players. Some Canadiens players were praising Koivu for standing up and talking to the team after the game #6 loss. The talk may have been a defining moment in this series which had the desired affect and helped settle down a frustrated locker room.
Koivu’s presence on the ice also helped Guy Carbonneau balance his scoring on the top two lines. It also allowed Christopher Higgins to play on the wing to utilize his speed without handcuffing him to the defensive/faceoff responsibilities of playing center. Koivu also greatly improved the success in the faceoff circle which was suffering in his absence
Before game #7 , the Canadiens had to have some serious doubts about getting past the Bruins with very little momentum on their side. A clever coaching decision by Guy Carbonneau to put Alex Kovalev with Saku Koivu and Christopher Higgins gave the Habs a more balanced attack. The move also allowed Carboneau to insulate Kovalev from Zdeno Chara and forced Kovalev to raise his game to a higher level with a hard working center like Koivu on his line .
In the end, it was the usual determined play, hustle and great leadership of their captain that led this team to the second round berth and yet another playoff challenge. The Habs couldn’t be in better shape with Capt. Koivu guiding the Canadiens ship through turbulent waters in pursuit of hockey’s most sought after treasure…….Lord Stanley’s glorious cup.