Finnish and world ice hockey legend Saku Koivu has announced his retirement. The legend of Finnish and world hockey Saku Koivu announced his retirement The gang gathered together with the world on a string managed to dashingly carry out the preseason - the goalkeeper Jeff looked especially bright

Captain hockey team"Montreal" Saku Koivu learned about the terrible illness in September 2001, immediately after arriving at the team's training camp. Saku was in the best shape of his career, he was eager to fight. And ahead of him, instead of hockey, he was waiting for 8 cycles of chemotherapy, 40 spinal punctures, 30 thousand emails with wishes of a speedy recovery, a dozen kilograms of lost weight and a shaved head.

Burkit's lymphoma is a mysterious and violent form of cancer. It was first found in children in Uganda in the 1930s. It all starts with a small swelling in the jaw area, which then swells to the size of a balloon. Over the past 80 years, medicine has taken a huge step forward, making this form of cancer one of the most curable.

Aside from the odd metallic taste in his mouth and lack of appetite, Koivu, covered with postcards, felt good during the first days of his hospital stay. But as soon as Saku, having received an ultra-high dose of chemotherapy drugs, went home, he locked himself in a dark room, where he writhed in pain for several days. He could hardly speak, he could not see, his sense of smell refused. It was even hard for him to get out of bed. Parents who arrived at the first call from Finland were afraid that their son was dying.

“I needed to sleep, just close my eyes and sleep. My head was splitting into pieces, there was a fire inside me, because of which I was constantly nauseous .... It was like… like… ”Saku chooses his words slowly, remembering that nightmare. The number of leukocytes in his blood fell from 10 thousand to one hundred, which is even worse than that of some AIDS patients, and there were so few red blood cells responsible for delivering oxygen to the tissues of the body that he could hardly climb the stairs of his house.

After the seventh course of chemotherapy, Koivu lost 10 kilograms, and his the immune system was destroyed. When Hannah took him by the arms and wanted to go up to the second floor of their house, she had to slowly shuffle her feet so that Saku could keep up. Looking at how weak the patient was, the doctors decided to postpone the last dose of drugs for a month.

The final examination took place on February 6. Koivu's body was scanned for cancer cells for about 20 minutes, but the test seemed to take forever. Then the radiologist left the office with a smile on his face and lifted up thumb... The disease has receded. Saku was healthy. For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace, he was able to defeat the enemy within himself.

This news was a ray of light in one of the darkest seasons in history. professional sports.

“I should consider myself lucky because I got my second chance and now I can enjoy things that I didn’t pay much attention to before,” Saku says. - I still love hockey and I hate losing, but when after defeats I come home and wake up next to my children in the morning, I say to myself: "This is not the end of the world."

Finnish professional hockey player, reserve captain of the "Anaheim Ducks" team from the National Hockey League. He started his league career playing for the Montreal Canadiens in 1995 after playing for the Finnish TPS team for three seasons. Koivu served as captain of the Canadiens for a time - in nine of the thirteen seasons he played - thus becoming the second longest captain in the team's history - apart from Jean Beliveau.

Saku's career professional hockey started with the Finnish SM-liiga team "TPS", in the 1992-1993 season. The athlete scored ten points in the first season, five of them in the playoffs. Per next year he managed to raise the result to fifty-three points, and then to seventy-three, better result leagues; along with this Koivu also earned the Pekka Ketola prize as the league point champion, the "Kultainen kypärä" prize as the best player

to the opinion of other players and the Lasse Oksanena prize as the most valuable player in the league. In thirteen games after the season, Saku scored seventeen points, which added to his piggy bank also the Yari Kuri prize - the most valuable player in the playoffs - and the second Canada-Malia prize.

Saku has represented Finland in various competitions on several occasions international level; Koivu has acted as the captain of the national team on several occasions. After you lay down

Finnish captain Timo Jutila left the sport, Koivu took his place - and, from the point of view of many, became his heir. Saku held this post continuously; the only exception was 2008, when he joined his team only in the middle of the tournament.

In 2006, Koivu won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics and bronze at the 1994 and 1998 Olympics. Saku also became the captain of the national team, sending

go to the 2004 World Cup; they managed to reach the final, but in the end the Canadians took the gold.

The most famous achievement Koivu for all his work in the Finnish national team was the 1995 IIHF World Championship; it was then that Finland won its first - and last so far - gold medal similar competitions. Koivu then played on the first line with Jere Lehtinen and Ville Peltonen (the so-called "Huey, Dewey and Louis line",

in honor of the characters of the popular Disney animated series "Duck Tale"); at the end of the championship, the trio was included in the list of the main stars of the competition.

Koivu preferred to work in a troika with Teemu Selanne and Jere Lehtinen - of course, in those cases when both of them were free from other matches. It is to this trinity that Finland owes a number of major victories... However, Koivu and Selanne often played without Lehtinen, and at the same time they

demonstrated a fairly high class of the game; after the 1999 world championship, Selanne replied in an interview that he would be happy to play with Saku on a regular basis. The announcement sparked a wave of rumors that Koivu was being transferred to the Anaheim Ducks team; whether due to this or for some other reason, Saku actually signed with this club in July 2009.

national team to become members of the Athletes Committee at the IOC.

Saku has a number of major hockey awards; so, for the 2001-2002 season he was awarded the Bill Masterton Prize for the perfect game and incredible dedication to hockey, and in 2006-2007 - the King of Clancy Memorial Award for leadership talents.

In 2010, Saku - along with Selanne and Lehtinen - was included in the national team for the Vancouver Olympics; again, he was put in the position of the second captain

On September 10, 2014, Finnish center-forward Saku Koivu announced that he was retiring from his sports career.

Koivu spent at the National hockey league 1124 matches and scored 832 (255 + 577) points. In the Stanley Cup, Koivu played 80 games with 59 points (18 goals, 41 assists). In the 1993 NHL Draft, he was selected 21st overall in the 1st round by the Montreal Canadiens. In September 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with Burkita Lymphoma, a mysterious and violent form of cancer. With the help of willpower, doctors, support of family and friends, fans and just caring people, Saku defeated the disease. In total, he underwent 8 cycles of chemotherapy and 40 spinal punctures. And already on April 9, 2002, Captain K took to the ice in a match with Ottawa. In this game, Koivu spent only 8 minutes, exactly as long as the standing ovation of the Montreal fans lasted before the start of the meeting. The Finn spent the entire cup streak against the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes and shared the title with Donald Odette and Doug Gilmore top scorer teams with 10 points. In June, Koivu received the Bill Masterton Trophy, and on July 19, as he had promised before his illness, he married Hannah. Saku Koiv holds the club record, which he shares with Jean Beliveau, for 10 years from 1999-2009 he was the captain of the Montreal Canadiens and the first European captain in the history of the club.

On Olympic Games ah and in the World Championships, Saku played 79 matches for the Finnish national team, in which he scored 86 points (26 + 60), in total playing for the Lions from 1993 to 2010. Koivu is the 1995 world champion and four-time Olympic medalist (Lillehammer 1994, Nagano 1998, Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010). Since 2006, he has been a member of the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee.

In his statement, Saku noted the huge role in his development as a player, the famous Soviet player and coach Vladimir Yurzinov. Yurzinov coached the Finnish TPS from 1992-1998, whose pupil was Saku Koivu. Vladimir Yurzinov led the Turku club to the titles of the champion of the country in 1993 and 1995, winning the European Cup in 1993, as well as victories in the Euroleague and the European Super Cup in 1997.

“Looking back, I feel happy. Thanks to those who made my career possible. I am forever grateful to Vladimir Yurzinov and TPS for support in my youth, the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation and teammates, my agent and friend Don Baisley. Of course, I am very grateful to Montreal, Anaheim and the fans, ”said Koivu.

Saku Koivu played for the Anaheim Ducks last season with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists). In total, the Finn spent 18 seasons overseas with Montreal and Anaheim.

Koivu participated in the 1998 and 2003 NHL All-Star Games. Winner of the "King Clancy Trophy-2007" for the creation of the Foundation for the fight against cancer, The best player world championships 1994, 1995, 1999. The best striker of the world championships 1995, 1999 and the top scorer of the 1999 world championship. Winner of the title of MVP of the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, the top scorer of the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin. Captain of the Finnish national ice hockey team from 1998-2010.

Former captain of the Finnish national team Saku Koivu took part in the Olympic torch relay in London. The story of what the hockey player experienced in the course of his career - in the translated material of the blog "Epicenter".

Koivu has already won the main victory in his life / Photo: Fotobank/ Getty Images / Rick Stewart

The captain of "Montreal" learned about the terrible illness in September 2001, immediately after arriving at the team's training camp. Saku was in the best shape of his career, he was eager to fight. And ahead of him, instead of hockey, he was waiting for 8 cycles of chemotherapy, 40 spinal punctures, 30 thousand emails with wishes for a speedy recovery, a dozen kilograms of lost weight and a shaved bald head.

The Canadiens is not just a job for David Muelder. This is part of his essence. And when Les Habitants missed the playoffs for the third time in a row in the early 2000s, he grieved as badly as any Montreal player. For those who don't know, David Mulder is the club's chief physician. Winners of the 23 Stanley Cups "Hubs" at the turn of the century seemed to be cursed. Sore knees and backs, permanent fractures - in the number of games that the Canadiens players missed due to injuries in the 2000/01 season, no one in the NHL would compare with them. In the summer, when all the hockey players were resting, Mulder plowed in two shifts, trying to figure out the reasons for such an injury. Another mystery for him was the message of Saku Koivu's fiancée, Hannah, who called the doctor on September 4, 2001.

Koivu was a good friend and frequent visitor to Muelder's office. During the six seasons that the Finnish striker spent in Montreal, he earned more than one injury, and each time David found a way to put the player, who became the main star of the club after the exchanges of Rua and Rakki, on his feet. Not without Mulder's help that summer, Saku was able to calmly prepare for the season, without being distracted by sores. The news from the Canadiens camp sounded encouraging - they had a new owner and their captain was looking forward to the start of the regular season. And it was all the more surprising that Hannah called Mülder at 5 in the morning. Throughout the flight from Amsterdam to Montreal, her future betrothed was curled up from stomach cramps, bouts of nausea and back pain.

Koivu arrived at the hospital, thinking that he was simply poisoned by something, or in the worst case, he was overtaken by an attack of appendicitis. Mulder sent the player to the local hospital for tests. In the evening he was seized with a state of shock. He could not take his eyes off the results of radiation diagnostics, and only one thing was spinning in his head. My God!

What is there? - almost unanimously asked Saku and Hannah as soon as Mulder entered the room, carrying the test results with him. He had a habit of touching patients before giving them bad news. He slightly brushed Koiva's leg, after which there was silence in the room.

Mulder spoke a few words, the meanings of which Saku did not understand.

What is it? Koiva asked.

His wife Hannah wanted to get ahead of the doctor, but the word "malignant" froze in her throat.

Saku, ”Mulder said quietly. You have cancer.

Everything stopped for a moment. Saku remembers only one thing: he felt very lonely.

Nightmare news caught the Canadiens players at a charity golf tournament. Brian Savage, Koivu's roommate and link partner, immediately called his best friends Mark Recky from Philadelphia and Trevor Linden from Vancouver, asking for the first flight to Montreal. By the evening, the whole city knew about Saku's diagnosis, and in front of the hospital in which the hockey player was located, there was no crowding due to the crowd of journalists. It’s hard to believe that Koivu, quiet by nature, would be accepted by the rude Francophone Montreal, but Saku immediately became his own there. His perky gaze and incredible optimism, coupled with selfless play, brought hope to Canadiens fans, while former club owner Molson calmly watched as his brainchild rolled downhill.

The next morning, at a hastily assembled press conference, Koivu publicly confirmed his diagnosis, admitting that he was indeed afflicted with cancer. At that moment, Saku did not yet know what Burkita's lymphoma was, that she killed half of her victims within five years. At that moment something else worried him much more. One summer evening, watching the sunset over the lake surface, he proposed to Hannah. Leaving the press conference, Saku vowed that he would not change the date of the wedding, he vowed that he would return to the ice. Even before the first match of the Canadiens, the 2001/02 season promised to be the craziest in their nearly 100-year history.

Apart from the odd metallic taste in his mouth and lack of appetite, Koivu, covered with postcards, felt good during the first days of his stay in the hospital. But as soon as Saku, having received an ultra-high dose of chemotherapy drugs, went home, he locked himself in a dark room, where he writhed in pain for several days. He could hardly speak, he could not see, his sense of smell refused. It was even hard for him to get out of bed. Parents who arrived at the first call from Finland were afraid that their son was dying. Hannah's thoughts were the same.

While Koivu dozed in morphine dreams, André Savard gazed with bated breath at the future of Montreal. He, an experienced scout, was invited to the post of general manager of the Canadiens, with the task of building a team without the megabudget that many American clubs had. Young Europeans Jan Bulis and Richard Zednik were invited from Washington, 29-year-old Andreas Dakkel came from Ottawa, able to play in the minority, 34-year-old Joe Junot, whose career was coming to an end, was found in Phoenix. To make up for Koiva's leadership, he brought in veteran Doug Gilmore, who was on the verge of retirement after 7 goals in 71 games for Buffalo. A cheap free agent Janick Perrault was found to play the sniper role, and Michel Terrien was supposed to make a team out of all this.

The gang, assembled from the world on a string, managed to dashingly carry out the preseason - goalkeeper Jeff Hackett looked especially bright, who, due to a hand injury, warmed the bench for most of the last regular season. But nobody built any special illusions after the exhibition games. Everyone knew that as soon as the NHL clubs came to their senses and shed the rust, Montreal would have problems. Real hockey was about to begin, and Montreal was still without its captain.

The gang gathered from the world on a string managed to dashingly spend the preseason - goalkeeper Jeff Hackett looked especially bright

The day before the Canadiens' first home game, Saku decided he would welcome the season opener in front of the city, not lying in bed. Bald and dead pale, he pulled on a red, blue and white jersey and headed to the Molson Center. As soon as the lights flashed in the arena, and the announcer spoke his name, 21,273 fans got to their feet, the hockey players of both teams banged their clubs on the sides - and everything around came to life. For seven minutes they did not let go of Koiva; he bit his lips, shifted from foot to foot, his eyes full of tears. Montreal drew with Toronto that evening, and after victories over Anaheim, Columbus and New Jersey, they suddenly soared to first place in the league with their best start in 20 years. There was only one question: how long will they last?

It turned out that not for long. In mid-October, the Canadiens were launched from heaven to earth - to the bottom of the Northeast Division. Koivu's sweater was hanging in the team's locker room all this time, but whenever his partners visited him in the hospital or met him near the arena, it seemed to Hannah that their eyes were full of fear. Children are also afraid when they see sick old people. "What if the same thing happens to me and I get sick too?" - as if they were asking. This question worried all hockey players who came to the city. The ghosts of the former Hubs arena Montreal Forum could not forgive the club for moving to the Molson Center.

In November 1999, Savage ran into a force reception in Los Angeles, as a result of which he broke his neck. Two months later, Trent McLeary received a laryngeal injury, who unsuccessfully blocked the puck (Mulder saved his life by promptly performing a tracheotomy). There have been so many wild incidents with Montreal that the veteran defender Patrice Brisbois once said that the only person from their team who deserved a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame is the doctor. Which, in fact, saved the lives of all players. Brisbois fell seriously injured at the end of January. Muelder had plenty of work to do. First, Hackett suffered a dislocation of his shoulder, then Jose Theodore received a concussion, and both injuries happened in the games against Buffalo. Montreal had to throw in the fight 18-year-old Olivier Michaud, earning $ 80 per game.

Before learning about his own illness, Koivu was rather skeptical about everything supernatural. But Savage's wife gave his photo to the healer, who called Saku one evening. Without introducing herself, the woman asked how the player was feeling, and, as Koivu later admits, he immediately felt his body fill with warmth, and the nausea receded. “Now I believe,” says the Finn, shrugging his shoulders when asked about the incident with Donald Odette. In November of that year, the Canadiens traded a playmaker from Dallas, giving the Texans just Savage. “Look, he was absolutely healthy there. They change it here and ... ".

Before learning about his own illness, Koivu was rather skeptical about everything supernatural.

The Montreal offense went through a wild crisis and was incapacitated for 15-20 games, but with the arrival of Odette, the Hubs issued a six-game winning streak... It began after a meeting with the Rangers, during which Donald nearly became disabled. In the middle of the game, he tried to stop Radek Dvořák, who was running away one on one, by throwing himself at his feet. It turned out that during the flight with right hand Donald's gaiter flew off, and the opponent's skate cut several extensor tendons. If a microsurgeon had not been on duty that night in the main hospital in Montreal, the attacker would have been left without an arm.

During these challenging times for the Hubs, Koivu used to bring players together and give them a speech that Rekki says brought the guys together and helped them understand their role in the team. But while his Montreal lost match after match, ending December with 11 defeats in 15 meetings, Saku was more distant from his teammates.

After the seventh course of chemotherapy, Koivu lost weight from 82 kilograms to 74, and his immune system was destroyed. When Hannah took him by the arms and wanted to go up to the second floor of their house, she had to slowly shuffle her feet so that Saku could keep up. Looking at how weak the patient was, the doctors decided to postpone the last dose of drugs for a month. There was no point in staying in Montreal, and Koiv wanted to fly to Finland for Christmas. But even that seemed problematic - the risk of catching an infection during the flight was very high. Colorado financier George Gillett, the one who bought the Canadiens in June 2001, came to the aid of the hockey player. He lent Saku his private plane, ordering the pilot, "You are flying to Finland."

Koiva will never forget that flight across the Atlantic. Only then did he fully realize how much cancer had affected his life. For the first time in years, Saku did not play hockey in December. The team could not get out of the hole, and all he could think about at that moment was the last chemotherapy course and the most important test, on the results of which his future depended. If tests show that everything is in order, Koivu could repeat the exploits of Mario Lemieux and Lance Armstrong, who, by the way, called him with wishes to stay strong. If the tests were bad, Saku would have a course of experimental drugs ahead of him, taking which he would remember hockey last.

The disease has receded. Saku was healthy. For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace, he was able to defeat the enemy within himself

The survey took place on February 6. Koivu's body was scanned for cancer cells for about 20 minutes, but the test seemed to take forever. The radiologist then left the office with a smile on his face and a raised thumb. The disease has receded. Saku was healthy. For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace, he was able to defeat the enemy within himself. Nearby, his parents and Hannah were crying, tears gushed from his eyes.

The news set a beacon for one of the darkest seasons in professional sports history. Previously, Koivu was the heart of the Canadiens, after his recovery he became their soul. Contrary to all predictions, the Hubs continued to fight for a place in the playoffs. They didn’t play beautifully, but it worked. Another youth came to Gilmore - since January he was gaining an average point per match, they started talking about Jose Theodore as the next Patrick Roy, and Joe Junot was the storm of all the special teams of the majority in the NHL. And Saku was eager to join them.

After what I have experienced, I think I have something to offer the team, - he said. And on April 9, 2002, 7 months after the diagnosis was made public, the Montreal captain returned to the ice in a match with Ottawa, a victory over which secured the Hubs a place in the playoffs.

Saku played only 8 minutes, and that is how long the applause of the fans lasted before the start of the meeting. The Finn spent the entire cup series with Boston and Carolina and shared the title of the team's top scorer with 10 points with Odette and Gilmour. In June, Koivu received the Bill Masterton Trophy, and on July 19, as promised, he married Hana.

California, Orange County, almost 10 years later. Koivu spends his vacation with his wife and two children - daughter Ilona and son Aatos.

I should consider myself lucky, because I got my second chance and now I can enjoy things that I didn’t pay much attention to before, ”Saku says. - I still love hockey and hate losing, but when after defeats I come home and wake up next to my children in the morning, I say to myself: “This is not the end of the world.

P.S On June 20, Anaheim extended the contract with Koivu for one more year. The 2012/13 season will be his 11th after returning to the ice.

Based on materials from ESPN

- What is there? - almost unanimously asked Saku and Hannah as soon as Mulder entered the room, carrying the test results with him. He had a habit of touching patients before giving them bad news. He slightly brushed Koiva's leg, after which there was silence in the room.

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Mulder spoke a few words, the meanings of which Saku did not understand.

- What is it? Koiva asked.

His wife Hannah wanted to get ahead of the doctor, but the word "malignant" froze in her throat.

“Saku,” Mulder said quietly. You have cancer.

Everything stopped for a moment. Saku remembers only one thing: he felt very lonely.

Nightmare news caught the Canadiens players at a charity golf tournament. Brian Savage, Koivu's roommate and flight partner, immediately called his best friends Mark Recky from Philadelphia and Trevor Linden from Vancouver, asking them to fly to Montreal on the first flight. By the evening, the whole city knew about Saku's diagnosis, and in front of the hospital in which the hockey player was located, there was no crowding due to the crowd of journalists. It’s hard to believe that Koivu, quiet by nature, would be accepted by the rude Francophone Montreal, but Saku immediately became his own there. His perky gaze and incredible optimism, coupled with selfless play, brought hope to Canadiens fans, while former club owner Molson calmly watched as his brainchild rolled downhill.

The gang gathered from the world on a string managed to dashingly conduct the preseason - goalkeeper Jeff Hackett looked especially bright

Before learning about his own illness, Koivu was rather skeptical about everything supernatural.

The Montreal offensive was in a wild crisis and was incapacitated for 15-20 games, but with the arrival of Odette, the Hubs had a six-game winning streak. It began after a meeting with the Rangers, during which Donald nearly became disabled. In the middle of the game, he tried to stop Radek Dvořák, who was running away one on one, by throwing himself at his feet. It turned out that during the flight, a gaiter flew off Donald's right hand, and the opponent's skate cut several extensor tendons. If a microsurgeon had not been on duty that night in the main hospital in Montreal, the attacker would have been left without an arm.

The disease has receded. Saku was healthy. For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace, he was able to defeat the enemy within himself

“After what I've been through, I think I have something to offer the team,” he said. And on April 9, 2002, 7 months after the diagnosis was made public, the Montreal captain returned to the ice in a match with Ottawa, a victory over which secured the Hubs a place in the playoffs.

California, Orange County, almost 10 years later. Koivu spends his vacation with his wife and two children - daughter Ilona and son Aatos.

“I should consider myself lucky, because I got my second chance and now I can enjoy things that I didn’t pay much attention to before,” Saku says. - I still love hockey and hate losing, but when after defeats I come home and wake up next to my children in the morning, I say to myself: “This is not the end of the world.

P.S On June 20, Anaheim extended the contract with Koivu for one more year. The 2012/13 season will be his 11th after returning to the ice.