Mikko Memories: Koivu reflects on nine moments that defined his career

Longtime former Wild captain Mikko Koivu will have his No. 9 sweater retired into the rafters at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday before a game against the Nashville Predators.
During his time in Minnesota, Koivu re-wrote the Wild record book and still holds a number of franchise marks. The first permanent captain in team history, Koivu will deservedly be the first Wild player to have his number retired by the club.
There are a number of moments and memories from his 1,028 career games in a Wild sweater, but Koivu reflected recently on nine of the most memorable, ones that defined his career and made him a household name in the State of Hockey.

1) June 23, 2001: Drafted sixth overall in the 2001 NHL Draft

Mikko Koivu: "What first comes to my mind is that it was overwhelming going into the draft, having all the interviews, and not knowing what to expect. Obviously it's your first time going into it. Coming from Finland with the language and stuff like that, the whole weekend was crazy because you're going from A to B to C and going and going and going, sitting in interviews. Great experience and I think you learn a lot as a young man when you go through that process. But I didn't know what to expect.
"And with the actual draft, at first there was a big rumor that Montreal would take me. Then when it was Minnesota's turn, my dad actually said, 'this one feels good,' because we knew the hockey culture and background with what Minnesota had, and we knew how much hockey meant to the people here. Then it happened, and I had a really good feeling right away, and kind of knowing a little bit about the state and the people and what hockey means to them here, it reminded me of home and I felt comfortable with it even though I had never been here. It was just a great weekend overall."

2) Nov. 6, 2005: First NHL goal against Anaheim

MK: "Kind of a natural move for me with instinct, taking the puck to the net and creating chaos, put the pressure on the goalie and obviously the puck went in. But my first thought was to take the puck and maybe get a rebound or whatnot. But Giguere was in net, if I'm not mistaken. It was a great feeling and it gave me a lot of confidence moving forward."

3) Oct. 20, 2009: Named the first permanent captain in team history

MK: "I think the first thing that I did was go and talk to our veteran guys, Bruno and then Owen Nolan, and I wanted to make sure that they were behind it. I asked the coaching staff, 'Are they into this?' It meant a lot to me because I wanted their support on them naming me a captain. I don't think you realize how big of a responsibility it is, especially at that age, so I think that was the first thing to me that I wanted to know I had their support and I could learn with their help. And once I knew that they supported that, then it was a great honor. Just a unique thing, especially at a young age like that. Looking back, I learned a lot from that responsibility and you do things along the way you'd probably do different in hindsight. But you just try and do the best you can and try to stay the same as you were before that."

4) Oct. 21, 2009: Scored a goal, an assist and had the winning shootout goal the day after being named captain

MK: "That game, I was really hungry to prove, and it was a very proud moment for me, to be named the captain. You just wanted to show every single night that you're worth it. And I think just the adrenaline and being in that moment, I really wanted to get out there and win that game and it was special."

5) Nov. 28, 2011: Scored his 100th NHL goal

MK: "I tried to never lie to the media or anyone, and trust me, you always want to score and help the team. But I was never big on numbers, so I do not remember that one."

6) April 9, 2015: Tallied his 500th NHL point

MK: "I do remember the games but the stats almost created a little bit of pressure for me, so I tried to stay away from the stats. I remember the plays and the goals, but that's where in team sports, that's the fun thing, your teammates will let you know after you get a milestone. Then you need to treat your teammates a little bit, having a little something on the board for the team fine fund. I think that's when you realize that stuff and that's how I always found out about those."

7) April 22, 2016: Overtime goal in Game 5 First-Round playoff game against Dallas

MK: "That was a big one. I think that was something where the game was a roller coaster. I had a mistake early on in the game that I wish I could take back. We also had some injuries on that team, and I think that was when I really clicked with Granny and I had a lot of fun with that.I remember the confidence in those playoffs. I also remember winning Game 5 and coming back home and that was the Prince pre-game warmups. That was the feeling I think as a hockey, what I'm going to miss the most, was the vibe and the atmosphere inside the building when you get a chance to be a part of things like that and play in a playoff game at Xcel in front of your own fans."

8) Jan. 21, 2019: Scored his 200th NHL goal

MK: "I remember that one because of the work Zach Parise did to set it up, and that was a good night because we were in Las Vegas, they were a new franchise and it was always a good atmosphere to play in with a lot of Wild fans."

9) Dec. 1, 2019: Played in his 1,000th NHL game, scored his 700th NHL point and buried the shootout-winning goal

MK: "It was an emotional night and I think what mattered for me the most throughout that whole night and what really touched me was how my teammates reacted after Mr. Stalock got his save in the final round of the shootout. That sticks out to me the most and made that night really special."