Saku's Homecoming

I didn’t want to write another Habs article, but with Saku Koivu coming back to town, I didn’t really know how I could avoid it. Luckily, I didn’t have to write the article. Instead, local die hard Habs fan Ryan Golt did the honors, and did it quite well. The little bit of editing that was done was done by me. Enjoy.

Some will remember Saku Koivu as the Montreal Canadiens number one center. Some will remember him for being a warrior and overcoming cancer. Some will remember him as a player who couldn’t bring a Stanley Cup to Montreal. However, I will remember Saku Koivu as the greatest captain this generation has ever seen.

Unfortunately I never got to experience the innovation and heroics of Maurice Richard, the talent and skill set of Guy LaFleur, or the clutch play of Ken Dryden. However, today’s generation of Habs fans would all say the same thing; it has been too long since the city has seen a superstar and a Stanley Cup. Therefore I focus on what we have seen. We have seen a player who is willing to give it everything he has. We have seen a player who fought through cancer and came back to play 6 more great seasons with us. We have seen a player who was NEVER given surrounding talent and was forced to do it all himself. He made the likes of Michael Ryder, Chris Higgins and Richard Zednik 30 goal scorers. Look where these players are now, they have bounced around from team to team and have put up nowhere near the numbers they did while playing with Koivu.

Does Saku Koivu belong in the Hall of Fame? Probably not. Does Saku Koivu deserve to have his number hung at the Bell Centre with the greats that have played before him? I think so, but it is no guarantee. Yes, Koivu never brought us a Stanley Cup, and yes Koivu was not the superstar this team has been searching for since the late 80’s. But Koivu was also never given the opportunity to be that superstar. He was never given the supporting cast which is the fault of management, not Koivu. Koivu played his heart out every single game he played and led the Canadiens for several great seasons. Although many fans may not be happy with the end result, I am. As my grandparents told me, they got to see the likes of the Richards, Beliveau, LaFleur, Dryden and Plante. I’ve never seen these player, but I will get to tell my grandchildren that I got the see the greatest captain of his time, Saku Koivu.

So where does this leave us now? After leaving on unfortunate terms (Habs management never offered him a contract, which I strongly disagree with, but that’s a whole other story) Koivu will return to the Bell Centre for the first time since leaving in the summer of 09’. I could imagine that this will be an emotional game for Koivu and I wish him the absolute best of luck. Unfortunately there will always be those ignorant drunk fans in the nosebleeds who will be booing Koivu for no reason, other than just to hear their own voice. But there will also be 20,000 other people who will be cheering Koivu, and hopefully he will be voted 1^st star. When he skates to center ice as the 1^st star, Saku Koivu will get the send off he deserves. The city of Montreal and Saku Koivu will both have their chances to say goodbye, to the player we loved so much, and to the fan base that he (hopefully) loved just as much.

Editor’s Note (Post Game): Koivu played a solid game last night, and was treated very well by the Habs faithful. He was almost made scapegoat when he took a penalty that led to the Habs tying goal, but luckily for him, the Ducks took it in shootout. He also recorded an assist on the night, and was named second star. Stupid Bobby Ryan.