Mikko Koivu

"No one worked harder than Mikko during his time with the Minnesota Wild," said Wild GM Bill Guerin. "He was a fiery competitor and a fantastic captain both on and off the ice. Mikko is the franchise leader in so many categories, but the impact he made in our community and the connections he made with Wild fans, will live on forever. We look forward to sharing this special honor with Mikko and all of our great fans on March 13." Koivu is the franchise leader in games played (1,028), assists (504), points (709), plus/minus rating (plus-70), shots on goal (2,270), power-play points (251), power-play assists (191), shorthanded points (25), shorthanded assists (15), multi-point games (153), faceoffs won (10,354), faceoffs taken (19,290), shootout attempts (107), shootout goals (42), game deciding goals (18) and playoff games played (59). He announced his retirement in February. 

Mikko Koivu spent almost his entire career with the Minnesota Wild. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2020-21 campaign, but he's retiring after playing just seven games with them. He had a goal and an assist while averaging 12:28 minutes over his brief tenure with the Blue Jackets. He'll be remembered as a great two-way center and as a leader with the Wild. He served as the team's captain from 2009–2020. He had 206 goals and 711 points in 1,035 career games. "This was not an easy decision for me as I have loved every minute of my short time in Columbus and really hoped to be able to help this team accomplish its goals this season, but the bottom line is I haven't been able to get to the level of play that I need to be true to myself and fair to my teammates, so the time is right for me to retire from hockey," said Koivu. "I have been extremely blessed and I am eternally grateful to the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets organizations for the opportunities they have given me to live out my dreams of playing in the National Hockey League for the past 16 years."

It was Koivu's first goal as a member of the Blue Jackets. He has two points in two contests this season.

Koivu said his COVID symptoms were mild, but the 10-day quarantine was difficult to go through. He felt good during Monday's session and he is looking forward to making his Columbus debut. Koivu skated between Mikhail Grigorenko and Kevin Stenlund.