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Nilan25

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sorry man i dont agree with you! He know unlike Komisarek that rivalries exist and i highly doubt that koivu would want to get booed by the city he loves. End of story

I thas been prooven over and over agin throughout the past 2 decades that when lots of money is dangled in front of a player, 90% of the time he will jump on it, and it's the same for Koivu. You're just too in love with him to see that!

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I thas been prooven over and over agin throughout the past 2 decades that when lots of money is dangled in front of a player, 90% of the time he will jump on it, and it's the same for Koivu. You're just too in love with him to see that!

+1

Koivu has pride but he's also not stupid ... you're lucky to have a career as long as his has been in the NHL and towards the tail-end of it you need to ensure you are prepared financially for when it comes to an end. He isn't accepting huge offers because they aren't being presented, regardless of who is offering.

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He isn't accepting huge offers because they aren't being presented, regardless of who is offering.

Exactly! Minnesota was willing to offer him a 3 year deal(which is pretty damn good when you're 34 years old) but apparently he refused...he wanted 4 years!

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I thas been prooven over and over agin throughout the past 2 decades that when lots of money is dangled in front of a player, 90% of the time he will jump on it, and it's the same for Koivu. You're just too in love with him to see that!

Not to say that it won't happen, but what about precedent? Two times in Montreal he went to management and offered to sign at his previous salary because he hadn't proved anything on the ice. That's more classy than 99.5% of players in any pro sport. Hell, that shows more integrity and class than most of the world's population. "I'll sign for a lower salary and I'll prove what I can do before I get a raise." In an era of money grubbing bastards, that's a breath of fresh air.

However, those who dislike Koivu or wanted him out or, or, or... won't listen to anything. They see what they want to see and that's it. Ciao, see ya later, bu-bye. That they can't recognize what the person represented and how he comported himself in the organization and the city is more a reflection of their horse blinders than anything else. Ten years from now Koivu will be remembered as one of the brighter lights to have ever worn the jersey and the hockey population at large will remember a classy, talented player who received far too many road blocks. Will he have his jersey retired? Chances are very high that he won't. But that doesn't diminish what he brought to the city and franchise and his legacy will be entirely positive except from those who took issue with the language nonsense.

Some of the reaction here is precisely why Montreal Canadiens fans are the worst in the sporting world. Guy gives heart and soul and instead of thanking him, they kick him out the door, don't let it hit your ass on the way out, on to something new. Forget that he was the brightest point in the lowest era ever of the Canadiens, that he was the player around whom the fanbase built weak hopes when the team was comprised of ECHL rejects...

Surely he wasn't the most talented hockey player (though still an exceptional hockey player), but he made up a lot in heart - something that the bulk of pro athetes couldn't understand if their life depended on it. Joe Thornton, on his best day, wished he could have half the heart Koivu has. And if Joe ever found that heart, he'd be a true sensation. I suspect he still has nightmares of losing consistently to Koivu in the playoffs.

And in the end, there's the real shame of it all. Had management been able to surround Koivu earlier in his career with the quality that's on the team now, there's every reason to believe those Habs would have been in the mix to win a Cup. He was a legit number one centre when he was younger and more healthy (my opinion (and many others) - doesn't need debate in this thread) and was never given a sufficient supporting cast. When he had one worthy winger, he had no second line and the opposition was able to key on him.

Well here we stand today, more than ever in an era of "what have you done for me lately" and since he's older and in decline, he hasn't done as much (supposedly), so he's being bashed out the door by far too many. And I suppose that's fine, because we live in a time of little respect. It is what it is, so time to move on.

Well, maybe I'm a throwback to when people actually respected others a little more, but I, for one, appreciate everything he gave to the organization. He may not have won a Cup (how many stars have never won a Cup?) but he was a champion nonetheless. He's a rare breed the likes of which will be more rare by the moment in pro sports. He'll always be my favourite Canadien.

Maybe the Canadiens needed a new face, and I can accept that. I wish they could find a way to sign him, offer up the C to someone else, and let him finish his career here, but I think that boat has sailed. That, though, would be the repayment in kind to the class he's showed. But this is a business in the end.

It's just a shame that he's going out with little fanfare - and more than a few parting shots; the Finn who took hold of a horrid Canadiens squad and the city of Montreal, and gave them everything he had.

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Maybe the Canadiens needed a new face, and I can accept that. I wish they could find a way to sign him, offer up the C to someone else, and let him finish his career here, but I think that boat has sailed. That, though, would be the repayment in kind to the class he's showed. But this is a business in the end.

Yup, I agree with that 100%. I would have loved to see him end his career as a Hab and give up the C. I definitely wanted a new captain to move the team in a new direction, but I didn't necessarily want to do it by losing Saku altogether. I would have been proud to call him a life long Hab. He is surely one of the classiest players in his era.

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I never had anything against Koivu, he was never my favourite player on the team. It was time that both parties moved in a different direction. We needed a new Captain and I doubt Koivu would've given up the "C". Also, I doubt he would have accepted anything less than 3.5 to 4 million per season on a 4 year term, and he is NOT worth that!

Edited by Habsfan
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Not to say that it won't happen, but what about precedent? Two times in Montreal he went to management and offered to sign at his previous salary because he hadn't proved anything on the ice. That's more classy than 99.5% of players in any pro sport. Hell, that shows more integrity and class than most of the world's population. "I'll sign for a lower salary and I'll prove what I can do before I get a raise." In an era of money grubbing bastards, that's a breath of fresh air.

However, those who dislike Koivu or wanted him out or, or, or... won't listen to anything. They see what they want to see and that's it. Ciao, see ya later, bu-bye. That they can't recognize what the person represented and how he comported himself in the organization and the city is more a reflection of their horse blinders than anything else. Ten years from now Koivu will be remembered as one of the brighter lights to have ever worn the jersey and the hockey population at large will remember a classy, talented player who received far too many road blocks. Will he have his jersey retired? Chances are very high that he won't. But that doesn't diminish what he brought to the city and franchise and his legacy will be entirely positive except from those who took issue with the language nonsense.

Some of the reaction here is precisely why Montreal Canadiens fans are the worst in the sporting world. Guy gives heart and soul and instead of thanking him, they kick him out the door, don't let it hit your ass on the way out, on to something new. Forget that he was the brightest point in the lowest era ever of the Canadiens, that he was the player around whom the fanbase built weak hopes when the team was comprised of ECHL rejects...

Surely he wasn't the most talented hockey player (though still an exceptional hockey player), but he made up a lot in heart - something that the bulk of pro athetes couldn't understand if their life depended on it. Joe Thornton, on his best day, wished he could have half the heart Koivu has. And if Joe ever found that heart, he'd be a true sensation. I suspect he still has nightmares of losing consistently to Koivu in the playoffs.

And in the end, there's the real shame of it all. Had management been able to surround Koivu earlier in his career with the quality that's on the team now, there's every reason to believe those Habs would have been in the mix to win a Cup. He was a legit number one centre when he was younger and more healthy (my opinion (and many others) - doesn't need debate in this thread) and was never given a sufficient supporting cast. When he had one worthy winger, he had no second line and the opposition was able to key on him.

Well here we stand today, more than ever in an era of "what have you done for me lately" and since he's older and in decline, he hasn't done as much (supposedly), so he's being bashed out the door by far too many. And I suppose that's fine, because we live in a time of little respect. It is what it is, so time to move on.

Well, maybe I'm a throwback to when people actually respected others a little more, but I, for one, appreciate everything he gave to the organization. He may not have won a Cup (how many stars have never won a Cup?) but he was a champion nonetheless. He's a rare breed the likes of which will be more rare by the moment in pro sports. He'll always be my favourite Canadien.

Maybe the Canadiens needed a new face, and I can accept that. I wish they could find a way to sign him, offer up the C to someone else, and let him finish his career here, but I think that boat has sailed. That, though, would be the repayment in kind to the class he's showed. But this is a business in the end.

It's just a shame that he's going out with little fanfare - and more than a few parting shots; the Finn who took hold of a horrid Canadiens squad and the city of Montreal, and gave them everything he had.

Very well put Colin. I will miss Koivu a great deal. It really is too bad he couldn't have been given a secondary role.

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Well said, Colin.

As for whether his number should be retired: I didn't say it should. On any other organization it's a no-brainer. On this one? No. But as I tried to say in my earlier post, I DO think there's a good chance his number will be retired eventually. That would be shame, however, because it would represent an unacceptable compromising of standards.

Ideally, once he's retired we'd have a 'Saku Koivu Appreciation Night' in which fans can say a proper goodbye, without having jersey retirement come into it. That would be the classy way to do it.

And as for adversity: I don't think that what Rocket Richard went through compares to what Koivu went through. Yes, Richard put up with a lot of crap. But he was also a civic hero and a multiple Cup champ. Saku Koivu endured the following:

-cancer

-permanent eye damage

-a terible MCL injury that left him a diminished shadow of himself and compromised his entire career. Most people forget how electrifying Saku was before that injury, when he LED THE LEAGUE IN SCORING 50 games into the season. Saku Koivu would have been a bona fide superstar had he stayed healthy.

-a tragically wasted career playing on pathetic teams unworthy of him

-injury after injury after injury

-a steady low-level stream of disrespect from ignorant fans and media, including being booed by fans who blamed him for the fact the Ribeiro sucked

As far as injuries go, there are Habs who have suffered from them on the scale of Koivu, such as Cournoyer and Savard and Brunet, and there are Habs who had their careers cut sadly short, such as Mondou. Howie Morenz died while in his declining years as a player, Vezina while in his prime. But put it all together, and I can't think of a Habs player who had such a combination of talent and adversity as Saku Koivu. Morenz and Vezina are obviously more *tragic* cases, but their careers as such were not marked with the kind of challenges Saks had to endure.

Even fans who 'blame' him for not being a better player than he was ought to concede that he showed tremendous character and dedication in battling through all that he had to face. He IS one of the greatest and most heroic Habs in that specific sense.

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Not to say that it won't happen, but what about precedent? Two times in Montreal he went to management and offered to sign at his previous salary because he hadn't proved anything on the ice. That's more classy than 99.5% of players in any pro sport. Hell, that shows more integrity and class than most of the world's population. "I'll sign for a lower salary and I'll prove what I can do before I get a raise." In an era of money grubbing bastards, that's a breath of fresh air.

However, those who dislike Koivu or wanted him out or, or, or... won't listen to anything. They see what they want to see and that's it. Ciao, see ya later, bu-bye. That they can't recognize what the person represented and how he comported himself in the organization and the city is more a reflection of their horse blinders than anything else. Ten years from now Koivu will be remembered as one of the brighter lights to have ever worn the jersey and the hockey population at large will remember a classy, talented player who received far too many road blocks. Will he have his jersey retired? Chances are very high that he won't. But that doesn't diminish what he brought to the city and franchise and his legacy will be entirely positive except from those who took issue with the language nonsense.

Some of the reaction here is precisely why Montreal Canadiens fans are the worst in the sporting world. Guy gives heart and soul and instead of thanking him, they kick him out the door, don't let it hit your ass on the way out, on to something new. Forget that he was the brightest point in the lowest era ever of the Canadiens, that he was the player around whom the fanbase built weak hopes when the team was comprised of ECHL rejects...

Surely he wasn't the most talented hockey player (though still an exceptional hockey player), but he made up a lot in heart - something that the bulk of pro athetes couldn't understand if their life depended on it. Joe Thornton, on his best day, wished he could have half the heart Koivu has. And if Joe ever found that heart, he'd be a true sensation. I suspect he still has nightmares of losing consistently to Koivu in the playoffs.

And in the end, there's the real shame of it all. Had management been able to surround Koivu earlier in his career with the quality that's on the team now, there's every reason to believe those Habs would have been in the mix to win a Cup. He was a legit number one centre when he was younger and more healthy (my opinion (and many others) - doesn't need debate in this thread) and was never given a sufficient supporting cast. When he had one worthy winger, he had no second line and the opposition was able to key on him.

Well here we stand today, more than ever in an era of "what have you done for me lately" and since he's older and in decline, he hasn't done as much (supposedly), so he's being bashed out the door by far too many. And I suppose that's fine, because we live in a time of little respect. It is what it is, so time to move on.

Well, maybe I'm a throwback to when people actually respected others a little more, but I, for one, appreciate everything he gave to the organization. He may not have won a Cup (how many stars have never won a Cup?) but he was a champion nonetheless. He's a rare breed the likes of which will be more rare by the moment in pro sports. He'll always be my favourite Canadien.

Maybe the Canadiens needed a new face, and I can accept that. I wish they could find a way to sign him, offer up the C to someone else, and let him finish his career here, but I think that boat has sailed. That, though, would be the repayment in kind to the class he's showed. But this is a business in the end.

It's just a shame that he's going out with little fanfare - and more than a few parting shots; the Finn who took hold of a horrid Canadiens squad and the city of Montreal, and gave them everything he had.

Thanks dude. Great post.

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Ideally, once he's retired we'd have a 'Saku Koivu Appreciation Night' in which fans can say a proper goodbye, without having jersey retirement come into it. That would be the classy way to do it.

Montreal needs to have a area devoted to those who won't have shirts retired, but who were integral to the fabric of the organization. From 95-09 (arguably), these were Koivu's Canadiens.

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http://www.rds.ca/hockey/chroniques/277989.html

Koivu with the ducks.

I premerged my thread, although this is more a fact than a rumour. I'm saving some judgment less mods the job to merge a thread that shouldn't really be merged. I've also decided that it should be in every Koivu thread, just for the sake of being annoying with that mod, so that he gets my message straight.

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Saku to Anaheim, looks like done deal.... Best of luck to you Captain K, you were often the lone bright star in years of mediocrity. Thanks for all the memories...

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I never had anything against Koivu, he was never my favourite player on the team. It was time that both parties moved in a different direction. We needed a new Captain and I doubt Koivu would've given up the "C". Also, I doubt he would have accepted anything less than 3.5 to 4 million per season on a 4 year term, and he is NOT worth that!

well apparently he signed for 3.25 on a 1 year term.

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hey guys i would i appreciate it if you watched by tribute video, check it out!

Good luck SAKU!!

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As much as I never cared for Koivu, it's seemed very odd yesterday that after all these years he will no longer be a habs. It's not that I didn't care for his play, effort or courage, I was more distraught with the fact that the role management played him in was not what I expect from a number 1 centre who leads and captains the Habs, it's not his fault he is what he is, a hard working, never give up, undersized centre forced to play 6 inches and 40 pounds bigger then he really is. I will not be surprised to see him have a great year in Anaheim, playing in a position he was meant to play the past decade.

The great purge is finally complete, this is Bob's team, he has no where to hide now, no legacy players that someone else was responsible for, imo this is his last chance to produce some real results, he has a solid mix of youth and championship experience.

I expect them to win the cup every year but I am very skeptical of how this season will go. Gomez and Gionta, Hall Gill and Spacek don't exactly strike too much fear into the likes of the Penguins, Flyers, Bruins or Capitals, all teams the Habs will have to overcome to even have a chance at making a legitimate run at the cup.

Sad to see you go Saku, unfortunately it had to be done.

Edited by nyckdkool
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Habsfan! Give it up! Your bias is showing. I have never witnessed anything like the night Koivu came back after cancer treatment.

Remember: Night the Forum closed. Maurice Richard 20-minutes standing ovation. And before that the last game Guy Lafleur played in Montreal as a Nords. Skated around the rink after the game and got a 15+ minutes standing ovation.

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Remember: Night the Forum closed. Maurice Richard 20-minutes standing ovation

It was more like a 10 minute ovation, not 20 minutes!

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I had it on tape. Too bad it burned with the rest of my home, I could have checked how long. But I'd bet it was more than 10 mins.

Youtube it.... it wasn't that long.

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Youtube it.... it wasn't that long.

Radio-Canada.ca has an archives section. The title is : 16 minutes d'ovation.

Edit : but the video is about 2 minutes long...

Edited by JoeLassister
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