Jukka Koivu reveals his parents’ biggest worries when a child is playing sports for years in a fierce sport and away from home.
Minnesota Wild was “Mikko Koivu’s team” for a long time. The central striker earned recognition among the best of his kind for his hard work. ZUMApress / MVphotos
- The beginning of Mikko Koivu’s career in North America went smoothly.
- Jukka and Tuire Koivu feared their sons were injured.
- On Sunday, Minnesota Wild will turn off number 9.
Two boys left the breakfast table for the Koivu family in Turku for the world’s toughest puck league, the NHL.
In his career, Mikko Koivu played in 1059 NHL regular season matches. Born in 1983, the center striker was elected captain of the Minnesota Wild in October 2009, at the age of 26.
In total, Koivu’s NHL trip lasted 16 seasons.
All the while the parents of the family Tuire and Yucca excited at home for their son. As do the parents of other athletes.
Injuries are worrying
Parental concern was fierce at times.
– Yes, the health of children was the biggest concern. Injuries and injuries. We were afraid of head injuries, but they come in this sport regardless of level, Jukka Koivu tells Iltalehti.
And the Koivu family was not spared any injuries either. Saku Koivu, who played in the NHL from 1995 to 2014, had a knee injury, a shoulder injury and a serious eye injury, among other things. And cancer.
Among other things, Mikko Koivu suffered from a serious knee injury that never fully recovered during his career.
Jukka Koivu admits that the family feared injuries when the boys played in the NHL. TIMO KORHONEN / AOP
Another concern for parents is constant annoyance. That, too, is a familiar grief to many parents for a variety of reasons.
– In our case, the distance to the children was so great for years. And later also to grandchildren. A lot of us there in North America, but that kind of sadness was a top feeling for a long time, Father Birch continues.
Birch still remembers the moments when their own boys left for their first NHL seasons.
– It wasn’t easy standing there at the airport and swallowing.
An unfortunate start
All on behalf of the team. Mikko Koivu was one of the toughest leaders of his time in the NHL. ZUMAPRESS / MVPHOTOS
Mikko’s NHL career began in August 2004. The young striker flew to Houston, Texas at the time, to start playing for the Minnesota Wild farm team.
There were big air pits right at the start of the trip.
– When Mikko went on a trip, the first message home to Turku came from the hospital. “Now the appendix is gone,” Jukka Koivu said.
– He seemed to be in his place for one night and then was hospitalized due to severe abdominal pain. His appendix was cut and he was thrown out of the hospital very soon after the operation.
– The club’s declarations were not yet valid. Everything was new, there were no acquaintances there and I don’t think the language skills for health were very good.
– That’s where his career started, Koivu once had unfortunate moments almost 20 years ago.
Mikko played in Houston for one season.
Time for celebration
After the initial difficulties, Mikko’s career started with excellent praise. The man became Wild’s captain and leading player as well as a respected professional in the world’s toughest puck league.
Many also remember Mikko as the captain of the world championship team in the spring of 2011.
His career ended in the fall of 2021 in the Columbus Blue Jackets shirt. The hockey pensioner still lives outside Minneapolis in a small town.
On Sunday, the state of Minnesota, which loves hockey, will celebrate the longest-running captain in Wild’s history.
The number 9 used by birch is raised to the ceiling of the hall.
– This shows that Mikko has done things right there. I don’t mean goals and points, but the holistic work he has done for the organization over the past 15 years, Jukka Koivu thinks.
– I understand that this honor is also affected by things done outside the ice. He has been shaping a certain kind of culture for the Wild organization.
To a small sack
Mikko Koivu already has a job in Wild’s organization. The man still lives in the state of Minnesota. ZUMAPRESS / MVPHOTOS
Finns have previously received a similar honor, ie the freezing of a game number Jari Kurri, Jere LehtinenTeppo Numminen, Teemu Selänne and Pekka Rinne.
– This is a big tribute to Mikko. He has always been infinitely critical of himself and his play.
For years, Birch was a fearless and fearless job leader for Wild, looking for no excuses or hiding behind the backs of others.
Birch was straightforward in matters of good and bad moments. The style did not always appeal to everyone in the NHL or national team, but the commitment to working together without compromise was number one on Koivu’s scale.
The award from Turku will come on Sunday, when the man’s shirt rises to the roof of the Xcel Energy Center. Emotional festivities are held before the start of the game between Wild and Nashville Predators.