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The Official Saku Koivu Thread


Bushfire

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This is stupid... Koivu is a captain. get over it. we go through a bad moment and u blame everything on the captain!? right... good solution! sort of like firing the coach right? lets do that 2? cuz we have fired a coach nearly every year.... maybe we should start getting a new captain every year!! man thats a genius idea... dunno why i didnt think about it before?

new captains every year everyone!!! problem solved!

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This is stupid... Koivu is a captain. get over it. we go through a bad moment and u blame everything on the captain!? right... good solution! sort of like firing the coach right? lets do that 2? cuz we have fired a coach nearly every year.... maybe we should start getting a new captain every year!! man thats a genius idea... dunno why i didnt think about it before?

new captains every year everyone!!! problem solved!

Couldn't have said it better. Thanks.

We are a very fickle bunch, and how we can blame this on him is beyond me. This is stupid and we should re-direct our focus

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Frankly year after year same thing- either he gets injured or he goes into a tailspin. This team has not made it past the first round of the playoffs with his leadership. Everytime I say something nagative about him i get hammered. Okay he beat cancer and that is a great thing. However, his play on the ice is what counts now. Where has Koivu gone since the new year. I almost feel sometimes we see a mirage in the first half. Then reality strikes. Time to find new people. We can finish last or we can get better. Koivu has had his chance. What struck me this year is that Koivu has just a few more points then Sundin has goals.

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LOL man some of the posts in here are RIDICULOUS

Koivu should give up his C? Koivu sucks, Koivu is not a good leader, blah blah blah

Face it, the team isnt winning and some of you are desperately looking for a reason for the losing and you pick your captain and rip him to shreds. Great fans you are...

When Montreal starts winning again and Koivu and the rest of the team begin to play better, all of you doubters will finally SHUT UP.

Koivu is the heart and soul of this team, a great captain and also a great player and the rest of the team will surely agree with this statement i just made.

Edited by habsfan88
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If he is the heart of the team, when the heart stops beating....

You got to understand that Koivu isn't good in the moment and if he is still playing this way he will lose his C they needs to give up on him, but he'll make the right choice, I know.

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We are a very fickle bunch, and how we can blame this on him is beyond me. This is stupid and we should re-direct our focus

People said the same thing about Modano, and look at the difference between his performance while he was captain and then look at the rest of his career. Some people are great leaders but can't handle the pressure of having that official title. This season is the first season that people have talked about the Habs as a legitimate Cup contender, something Koivu has never had to deal with since he took over as captain. For his entire stint as captain the team has average. Even in Montreal, the pressure of being the captain of an average team isn't intense. But once that label of "Cup contender" is mentioned, everything changes. People expect much bigger things from the team. They expect the captain to step up and lead the team through slumps. Koivu hasn't been able to do that, and has struggled just as much as the rest of the team. He is too good of a player to be a -16 and have only 7 points in 2007. Even with less talented teams he produced better than that.

I'm not saying he is a bad player (though he certainly isn't a "great" player as some suggest). I am not saying he is a bad leader. I'm not saying he isn't the heart of the team. I'm saying that perhaps the pressure of being the captain of a team labelled as a contender was too much for him. Something obviously isn't right with him, I'm just giving one possibility. When people start questioning Saku's effort on the ice, something is obviously wrong. Barring an undisclosed illness or injury, this is the most obvious possibility.

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he certainly isn't a "great" player as some suggest

amen

'good' player for 1/3 of the year, has enough 'great' games to make up another 1/3 of the year, and is absolute 'garbage' for the final 1/3. Averages out to 'good'

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They lack the mentality eh. Great. So what are you really trying to say. I see you're from Sweden. I guess that means you only have the "mentality" to make cheap furniture.

Im trying to say something about finns in general. Koivu getting critizised for being himself. Finnish leadership differs from North American. I don't think many disagree. Europeans doesn't have the same "GO". Im not saying it's a bad thing, just different.

Canada has won more titles than any other hockey-country and a major factor is the winning-mentality. Think about it, how would Montral fans react if the Habs had played in 7 Stanley Cup finals but only won one? It would be a standing joke in Toronto...

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Ch_nl - I don't think that's fair of you at all to say that about Finns. In my opinion, after North American players, Finns are the Europeans that play with the most heart, courage and guts.

All things and talent being equal, give me a team of Finns over a team of Russians or a team of Swedes or a team of Czechs or a Team of Slovaks ANY DAY.

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Sometimes you just have to lead with good hard play. Right now Koivu's play is anything but good. Bad decisions and penalties kill any momentum and confidence they gain. Maybe he's mad his buddy cant-make-an-outlet-passRivet is benched.

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...yers/index.html

"A team that drew comparisons to the Sabres before Christmas now looks more like Buffalo's hapless Bills. Losers of five straight, and 17 of 25, the Habs are in total disarray. Incapable of scoring at even strength - just 95 such goals this season -- Montreal's playoff hopes are fading fast.

The problem isn't just lack of offense. It's also a lack of on-ice leadership. It may be unfair to place that burden on Koivu, a player who has topped the point-per-game mark just once in his 10-year NHL career, but that comes with wearing the C. And it may be asking too much of him. Koivu's been terrible for months. There's no way to put a positive spin on just two goals in his last 26 games, especially from a number-one center. His minus-14 rating over that span is equally damning. the struggles of Michael Ryder and Alexei Kovalev have been just as pronounced, but neither of those "offensive" forces has the leadership skills to put the team on their back, as Koivu has in the past. Whether he's miscast in the role as savior or not, he's their best hope."

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It seems that Souray wants to stay, and it seems like he is the only one who will step up and put Kovalev in his place, and he is the only one who goes on camera and says we have to play better. Souray is a character guy, who everyone seems to respect. Maybe instead of trading him we should make him our captain.

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For the MILLIONTH timeeeeeeeeeeee there was no fight people!!

Are you able to read? Where do I say there was a fight? Those voices in your head are what you should be screaming at ... not this post!

Now, back to the topic at hand! New leadership needed?

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It seems that Souray wants to stay, and it seems like he is the only one who will step up and put Kovalev in his place, and he is the only one who goes on camera and says we have to play better. Souray is a character guy, who everyone seems to respect. Maybe instead of trading him we should make him our captain.

I don't think making him captain changes much but I would say he has been the MVP this year and leader of the team. Can the caandians sign him? Is he worth 5 million at his age. When you have a marketable commodity that has had a career year can you get something worthwhile for him? Is it better to trade him and build for the future? Tough questions glad Im not Bob Gainey right about now. However, don't trade him for a 3rd round choice. For some reason there seems to be a lot of teams trading up prospects for a chance at the Cup. Are we out of the playoff picture??? Who needs a quarterback on the powerplay with a tremendous shot? HMMMMMM (see other thread for details)

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it seems like he is the only one who will step up and put Kovalev in his place

What does that look like to you?

Step up doesn't equal fight. When you "step up" you take on a challenge. It could be verbal, it could be physical, and it could be mental. There is no limitation to what can be meant by "step up". Now in the context I was using it, it was step up verbal and mental.

Now, if you have any more problems with reading, PM me.

.... back to the topic again.

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Look if were gonna trade Kovalev to sign Souray I dont think its a good idea.

The only reason Souray is able to get off his cannon on the pp is because Kovalev creates space for him and feeds him perfectly.

Past 2 games without Kovalev...no chances to score on the pp for Souray and pretty much any other player.

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I don't think making him captain changes much but I would say he has been the MVP this year and leader of the team. Can the caandians sign him? Is he worth 5 million at his age. When you have a marketable commodity that has had a career year can you get something worthwhile for him? Is it better to trade him and build for the future? Tough questions glad Im not Bob Gainey right about now. However, don't trade him for a 3rd round choice. For some reason there seems to be a lot of teams trading up prospects for a chance at the Cup. Are we out of the playoff picture??? Who needs a quarterback on the powerplay with a tremendous shot? HMMMMMM (see other thread for details)

Yeah, trade aside. If we keep him, good character guys make good leaders. Koivu was a silent leader who lead by example. I don't think he is capable of this any more. Also, young teams need strong leadership.

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Yeah, trade aside. If we keep him, good character guys make good leaders. Koivu was a silent leader who lead by example. I don't think he is capable of this any more. Also, young teams need strong leadership.

Frankly at this point the only way Souray becomes captain is if they trade Koivu. There are many players that will not accept Koivu not being captain. Remember it was Souray who attacked Armstrong after the hit on Koivu. I doubt Souray would accept being captain if Koivu remains with the team.

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I don't think there's any doubt that Souray deserves the A, but Saku still deserves the C. We have no way of knowing what happens in the locker room, but people are quick to attribute any positives coming as a result of Souray instead of Koivu. Unless someone has concrete proof of this, I would chalk it up to rumour or conjecture.

I think Souray has done well in his role of AC this year, but there is no doubt in my mind that Saku should be captain. He is a leader and a living inspiration.

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You know, years ago, a friend and I got together and decided that we weren't going to be hockey fans anymore if we couldn't find at least one classy player on each team. Sounds pretty stupid, I'm sure, but the simple fact is that in this day and age, pro atheletes are more interested in themselves or in the bucks than they are in being upstanding people - *real* heros that you would be proud to look up to, be proud for your kids to look up to.

What constituted class? Well, playing with integrity, with a real work ethic, and with respect for your fellow hockey player on the ice. Respecting both the hockey community and the community at large away from the rink. Conducting oneself in a professional and respectable manner in public and realizing that you are part of something bigger than yourself. There were other elements, but you get the idea. It's about respect.

One of the key things was not taking things public. Oh sure, today if you don't make a big splash and call out your fellow player or the opposition publically you're considered a whimp and not good enough to be a leader. Is it more important to answer a reporters questions, thereby calling out your teammate in public, or is it better to call him out to his face, privately one-on-one, and not disrespect him publically? Again, different mindsets, and I would imagine that especially the younger fans would think that calling someone out publically is the way you should do it.

I disagree. It shows a lack of class. If you're on my team (and I'm a captain and manager) and performing poorly, I'm not going to berate you in front of others. Rather, I'm going to take you aside, or better yet take you out for a drink, and discuss the problem with you and how best to resolve it. Hell, I may even tell you to your face that what you're doing is bad and hurting the team. What I won't do, though, is get in front of a camera and call you out for being a wuss, or whatever.

If public humiliation is the only thing you respond to? Maybe you just shouldn't be on the team.

So, if we're not hearing about how Koivu stomps around yelling at his players, if we're not hearing him on camera reaming out everyone who hasn't played well, maybe there's a reason for it. Maybe he's the kind of guy who sits down with his teammates to talk things out. Maybe Gainey is the type of manager who tries to trade away those elements that are disruptive without saying as much to the media (hello and goodbye to the gruesome threesome of Ribs, Dags, and Theo).

Do you think it creates a good team spirit if you go out and say, "Well, we lost this game because Kovalev really screwed up badly and he really needs to get his head on right or we're never going to win." Perhaps the fact that team spirit is down right now is because of the guys who are busy running off their mouths to the press. Carbo does it *way* too much in my opinion. He's called out the goalies repeatedly, and for a position where confidence is everything, having the finger pointed at you through the press puts you in the spotlight and only adds pressure where there was already a ton, well that can't do much for the confidence, can it.

Well, maybe it's just me, but I think Koivu is a breath of fresh air in this day and age of Michael Irvin and his ilk. Whether he's doing the job or not, it's private, where it should be. He's a leader who leads by example, rather like Steve Yzerman. Not a leader who has to be the spotlight, who has to make a splash in the papers, or who has to run his mouth everywhere.

But again, that's just my opinion.

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All leaders get dumped on. It doesn't matter if you are the leader of a country or the leader of marble club. People find fault with leaders and bash them and that will never change.

Real leaders continue with what they are doing. They don't cry, they don't run away and hide, they don't explain themselves to anyone who will listen.

Koivu is a real leader. There are no politics to his leadership style just honest, gentle and genuine. His integrity (which I believe is the foundation of leadership) is unmatched.

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Koivu is a great guy, but I'm not so sure of his leadership abilities, and I don't see him leading this team at this moment. Also, his goal production has tapered off quite a bit this season. He is a hero in my books, but maybe he doesn't have it in him to lead anymore.

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Koivu is a great guy, but I'm not so sure of his leadership abilities, and I don't see him leading this team at this moment. Also, his goal production has tapered off quite a bit this season. He is a hero in my books, but maybe he doesn't have it in him to lead anymore.

I have a suggestion. Look at what the penguins are doing with youth. How bout if we trade Koivu and Souray and make Christopher Higgins the captain and let this team suffer next year with young players. Even though Higgins is struggling now, he has already shown skills that Koivu never had like speed and a good shot and beating a man one on one. Time to rebuild with youth. I think we should relegate players like Kovy and Sammy to a 4th line till we can buy out their contracts next year. Most teams are built on youth. With Higgins Plekanec and Latendresse even Perezhogin,Komisarek, Halak and Price we have a nucleus to start from scratch.

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