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f inlAnD’s finEsT RiGHT winger sAT DoWn WiTH
bEYond the Boards foR A CAnDiD OnE-On-One inTERViEW
Saku Koivu is turning over a new leaf. After spending 13 seasons with the
Montreal Canadiens, Koivu signed as a free agent with the Anaheim
Ducks this summer. With nine seasons as captain of the Canadiens
under his belt, Koivu brings his leadership abilities and offensive
touch to the Ducks. Last season, he scored 16 goals, bringing his total
points for the season to 50. In his NHL career, the 34-year-old center
has tallied 191 goals and 450 assists for a total of 641 points
in 792 games. Hailing from Turku, Finland, Koivu joins fellow
countrymen Teemu Selanne and Petteri Nokelainen on the Ducks.
Beyond the Boards recently sat down with Koivu to talk about his
youth hockey experience, his adjustment to Southern California life,
gearing up for the Olympics and the 2009-10 season.
Q: What was your youth hockey experience like in Finland?
Saku Koivu: The thing I remember is playing on outdoor rinks with
my friends since I was four years old. After school, we would drop off
our bags, do our homework, and then we went out right away. Back
in the day, the winter was so cold that we were able to have the
natural ice. That was the most fun I remember from my youth.
Then, when you became a member of a team, you remember
the weekend trips with your friends and the tournaments. The
funny thing is that I don’t remember so much about what
happened in the games, but more about the fun that went
around, the trips and hanging out with friends.
Q: Growing up, what player did you admire the most?
SK: For me, and I think most of the Finnish youngsters,
it was Jari Kurri. He was the one that broke in and
made a career for himself back in Edmonton. We
didn’t get a lot of games back in the '80s, so there
was pretty much the Edmonton games to watch. For
sure, he was my hero.
Q: Who do you credit most for your success as a
hockey player?
SK: Early on, my parents played a huge role.
My dad, when I was a kid, was my coach for a
year. He coached me again during my last two
years in a league in Finland, so probably my dad.
I also had a Russian coach the last three years before I went to Montreal. He probably made a difference in terms of how to
practice and how much it takes to really become an NHLer or professional hockey player. I was 16 or 17 when he came, and I
realized you really have to work to get there.
Q: You entered free agency this summer after spending 13 seasons with Montreal. What made you decide to come to
Anaheim to play for the Ducks?
SK: I think it all started, first of all for myself and for my family, that we felt at this point in my career that I wanted to get a new
challenge and see something else. Then when we went through the different options, we felt Anaheim was the best fit for our
family, both on and off the ice. When they showed the interest after July 1, everything just kind of naturally fit in and we were
able to make a deal.
Q: Is there anything you miss about Montreal?
SK: We were there for a long time, so I think the one thing we are going to miss will be the friends we had over the years. But
so far, life has been really pleasant here and we’ve been having a lot of fun.
Q: Have you done anything different this summer in Southern California to prepare for the upcoming season?
SK: I felt I had a lot more fun getting ready in the summertime. I felt that I was motivated a lot more to wake up in the mornings
and go for workouts because it’s a new beginning for me. So far, the weather has been unbelievable and I felt that it’s been
fun to come to the rink. Usually in Montreal, I found the months of January and February the toughest because of the weather.
We’re not going to get it here, so I think it’s a lot more fun to get up and go to the rink
when it’s nice and sunny.
Q: How was the Finnish Olympic Training Camp you participated in this past
summer with fellow countryman Teemu Selanne? What do you think it will be
like playing with him for the first time in your NHL career?
SK: We only had a two-day get-together (for the Olympic Training Camp).
We didn’t go on the ice. We just went through the style of play and the game
plan in our meetings. It was more of a fun few days. We have had a lot of
success in the previous times that we’ve played in the Olympics and Worlds.
Here, it’s going to be a different place and a different league, so we have to
be patient if we get a chance to play together. Hopefully, things will work the
way they have been working in the past years. Hopefully, this time here will
help us to play even better at the Olympics. That’s going to be a great
tournament, especially since it’s in Vancouver, and the attention is
going to be pretty big there.
Q: Do you have any words of encouragement for Southern
California kids who may be thinking about playing hockey?
SK: I think that when you are a kid, you’re spending a
lot of time at school, which is obviously very important,
but then after school you want to do something that
is fun. Obviously, hockey can be serious if you’re
competitive. You want to win and compete, but
more than anything, you get to have fun and
enjoy it. Also, play other sports. But hockey,
it’s a team sport and you get to hang out
with great friends. If it’s fun for you, that’s
what’s most important.
Ducks Rookies
Every year, a new batch of rookies take the ice for the Anaheim Ducks. This year, three of the Ducks most
promising young stars, Peter Holland, Mark Mitera, and Logan MacMillan, are all past Anaheim Ducks firstround draft picks. While they come to Anaheim with different hockey backgrounds - the OHL, the NCAA, and
the QMJHL respectively, they all have the same goal: to stay up on the Ducks roster and play all season long.
Read on to learn more about these dynamic Ducks rookies.
Peter Holland
Peter Holland, a 6-2, 185-pound center, was the Anaheim Ducks first-round draft
pick (15th overall) this past June. The 18-year-old Toronto native spent the last
two years playing in the OHL with the Guelph Storm. In 2008-09, Holland put up
impressive numbers, finishing second on the team with 28 goals and 29 assists for a
total of 57 points. He also represented Team Canada at the 2009 IIHF World U-18
Championships where he had one goal and four assists in six games.
Mark Mitera
Mark Mitera, a 6-3, 202-pound defenseman, was the Ducks first-round draft pick (19th
overall) in 2006. Last April, he made his professional hockey debut with the Iowa Chops,
the Ducks' former AHL affiliate. Hailing from Royal Oak, Michigan, the 21-year-old spent
the last four years playing NCAA hockey at the University of Michigan, where he served
as team captain for the 2008-09 season. Before playing for the Wolverines, Mitera was
a member of the US National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor from 2003-05.
Logan MacMillan
Logan MacMillan, a 6-1, 173-pound center, was another Ducks first-round draft pick
(19th overall) in 2007. The son of former NHLer Bob MacMillan, Logan is a forceful
two-way player. He spent three full seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL,
before being traded to Rimouski Oceanic last season. The 20-year-old Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island native also helped Team Canada win gold at the 2006 U-18
Junior World Cup.
Hockey Fights Cancer
October is the National Hockey League’s Hockey
Fights Cancer (HFC) month, a charitable initiative
which was established by the NHL as a way for
the hockey community to come together to fight
cancer, a disease that has affected so many
individuals in the NHL. Throughout the month,
Ducks players- along with all NHL players- will be
wearing HFC lavender decals on their helmets in
support of the cause.
In addition to the
NHL initiatives, the
Anaheim Ducks will
be hosting HFC
Night at Honda
Center on October
24th as the Ducks
take on the visiting
Columbus Blue
Jackets. HFC
Night will include
Ducks executive
management,
coaches, broadcasters and staff wearing lavender
ties and scarves to show their support. The team
will conduct an in-game silent auction of Ducks
autographed memorabilia and a sale of Anaheim
Ducks lavender mini-sticks, autographed by
members of the Anaheim Ducks. Mini-sticks will
be available for $20 in the Hockey Spot prior
to the start of the game. The HFC Night game
night events will also include an American Cancer
Society representative receiving the Community
Hero Award, which will recognize an individual
from the organization who has significantly
contributed in assisting the local community and
helped in the fight against cancer.
All proceeds from the evening’s fundraising
will benefit the Michael O’Donnell Memorial
Fund at the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer
Center. O’Donnell, who passed away in August
2007 after a three-year battle with cancer, was
General Manager of Honda Center, the home
of the Anaheim Ducks. USC/Norris is one of the
nation's 39 comprehensive cancer centers, a select
group of institutions providing leadership in cancer
treatment, research, prevention and education.
Tenth Annual Dux in Tux
presented by Honda
For one evening, the Anaheim Ducks players and
coaches hang up their skates and take on a new role
as “celebrity sous chefs” joining some of Orange
County’s finest chefs who will treat guests to an evening
of fine dining at the Tenth Annual Dux in Tux presented
by Honda. At Dux in Tux, the entire Ducks roster will
be on hand- looking their very best in tuxedos- joining
Orange County’s finest chefs to provide guests with
a night of quality service and exceptional cuisine in
support of the Anaheim Ducks Foundation.
Dux in Tux will help raise funds for the
Anaheim Ducks Foundation. The mission of the
Anaheim Ducks Foundation is to facilitate and
support programs that produce positive change for
children and families throughout Southern California
by providing
educational
opportunities,
broadening
access to
the sport of
hockey and
addressing
the health
and wellness
needs of our
community.
This
year, the
event will
highlight
the primary
program
facilitated by
the Anaheim
Ducks
Foundation:
Ducks S.C.O.R.E. (Scholastic Curriculum of
Recreation & Education) offers free educational
standards-based curriculum to students through inclass and physical education.
For more information on the Tenth Annual Dux
in Tux presented by Honda, please call 877 WILD WING.
G et $300 in
Want to learn how to skate for free?
The Ducks Learn-to-Skate Program
offers first time hockey players the
chance to get on the ice in full hockey equipment
and learn basic skating skills. Equipment sizes
recommended for players under nine years of age.
Sessions are four weeks long and run on Sundays.
Fall/Winter Session Schedule:
KHS Ice Arena: Session starts
Sunday, October 11th
(runs 10/11, 10/18, 10/25 and 11/1)
Times –11:50a - 12:50p
Contact: Cherrie Sweeney
1.714.422.1236 ext. 253
[email protected]
The Rinks-Westminster ICE: Session starts
Sunday, November 22nd
(runs 11/22, 11/29, 12/6 and 12/13)
Times –TBA
Contact : Rick Hutchinson
1.714.518.3211
[email protected]
More sessions to come after the Holidays.
Keep checking Beyond the Boards and www.
anaheimducks.com for more information.
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“Practice w it h
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Es say Co ntest
No vem ber 22, 2009
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The Anaheim Ducks are givin
in a participating
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skate with the Ducks players!
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with the Anaheim Ducks play
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• Only hockey teams (travel
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participating Future Ducks Rink
can make it on
ay if you know that your team
• Please only send in an ess
9.
Sunday, November 22, 200
all team
mit the final essay. However,
• The Team Captain must sub
give input.
members are encouraged to
9. Please mail all entries to:
by Monday, November 2, 200
• Essays must be received
Anaheim Ducks
test
Attn: Jennifer Boris/Essay Con
2695 East Katella Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92806
tion and home rink.
e, coaches contact informa
*Please include the team nam
ember 13, 2009.
notified by 5 pm on Friday, Nov
• The winning team will be
the winning team
are
be contacted unless you
*Please note that you will not
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(the winning team will also be
Friday, November 13, 2009).
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winning team will then take
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head to the locker room for
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to the ice for an hour long prac
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et to an upcoming Ducks gam
team will also receive a tick
• Each member of the winning
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