by Zach Bigalke

Created on: March 20, 2007   Last Updated: May 16, 2007

Many people will wax rhapsodically about the virtues of watching Wayne Gretzky play behind the net for the Oilers or Bobby Orr flying to victory for Boston. The elite players throughout the history of the National Hockey League have been the public face of the league. Names like Howe and Lemieux (and even Lindros) have resonated beyond the niche market of hockey aficionados to garner a wider societal exposure. But, for my money, the player I have followed the longest and rooted for the most was number eleven, Saku Koivu, captain of my beloved Montreal Canadiens.

The diminutive center began his career in his native Finland for his hometown TPS Turku, winning two titles and being voted player of the year in 1995. Drafted by the Canadiens in the 1993 Entry Draft following their most recent Stanley Cup victory, Koivu honed his skills in Finland and awaited his shot in Montreal. After his breakout season in 1995, he moved to Canada and joined the Habs.

Koivu played all eighty-two games of the post-lockout 1995-1996 season in Montreal, and his influence grew throughout the next three seasons as Koivu gained valuable playoff experience. He would post forty-five points his first season, improving into the fifties each of the next two years. But Koivu's rise could not help stave off the decline of the bleeding franchise. The team would miss the playoffs each of the next three years of his career. Players moved to other teams through trades and free agency. Koivu persevered with the Canadiens, though the slump would have adverse effects on his numbers.

As the team lost and hemorrhaged players, no one proved to be safe. Captain Vincent Damphousse was traded to San Jose in 1999; Koivu inherited the C and became the first European captain of the storied franchise. But his first season as captain would prove disastrous, as he suffered a shoulder injury against the New York Rangers on Halloween Eve 1999 and missed fifty-eight games. The next season he returned to play in fifty-four games, but the Canadiens still missed the postseason.

2001-2002 was a star-crossed season for Koivu and his Canadiens. Before the season began, the team had possibly lost their captain forever. Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on 6 September 2001 and immediately began treatment in a desperate attempt to continue living. All through his struggle he remained close with the team, and they fought valiantly to inspire their captain to win his battle by winning on the ice. The team appeared

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