Former Canadiens Star Saku Koivu Receives Big Honor

Former Montreal Canadiens star Saku Koivu received a major honor on Saturday.

This is because Koivu had his No. 11 retired by TPS Turku of Finland's Liiga. When looking at the success he had while playing for the Liiga club, it is understandable that they have retired his number.

Koivu spent his junior days developing his game with TPS before making the jump to their professional team during the 1992-93 season. The former Canadiens captain then broke out for the Liiga team in 1993-94, when he posted 23 goals and 53 points in 47 games. Yet, he was then even better for them in 1994-95, as he recorded 27 goals and a very impressive 74 points in only 45 games.

Following the 1994-95 season, Koivu began his NHL career with the Canadiens. However, he did have another stop with TPS in 2004-05 during the NHL lockout, where he posted eight goals and 16 points in 20 games. 

Overall, Koivu had plenty of success with TPS, and the Liiga club helped him develop his game nicely. Due to this, it makes sense that his No. 11 has been retired by them.

Koivu spent 13 seasons with the Canadiens during his NHL career, where he posted 191 goals, 450 assists, and 641 points in 792 games.