Wild will retire Mikko Koivu's #9 on March 13th, first player to have number retired by team

[OneSniffTwoSniff]

Hey now, he did have 28 points in 59 games, thats more than.....some (!!) players at least....

Lmao what a fraud

 

[orby]

Koivu played over 1000 games for the Wild and was the team captain for over a decade. Sure, his numbers weren't hall of fame worthy, but who says they have to be? He was a very important player for that franchise for a long, long time and it makes sense to me that they'd want to honor him.

 

[Shinjuku Calling]

dude was p good. that's about it.

 

[AnInjuredJasonZucker]

Now that the ceremony has happened and the simpletons are popping up, I feel like this needs to be restated:
Jersey retirement is about myth building for a franchise. Expansion teams have to start somewhere. And a player like Koivu is a great place to start. A very good player who was the captain and had outstanding longevity.

 

[ottawa]

Now that the ceremony has happened and the simpletons are popping up, I feel like this needs to be restated:
Jersey retirement is about myth building for a franchise. Expansion teams have to start somewhere. And a player like Koivu is a great place to start. A very good player who was the captain and had outstanding longevity.

Was hoping this legend would be Columbus' first retired jersey too but they retired that bum Rick Nash instead.

 

[NotCommitted]

I don't get why fans of different teams try to make it their business what numbers some franchises retire. None of their business really and they can't truly understand the value of a player for a fanbase and franchise they don't follow. If it comes from a Wild fan, that's an opinion I can respect, but some original six fan with a bunch of cups from the 50s won in a 6 team league with a bunch of Canadian farmers who played hockey as a past time during the long winters, who cares Seriously though, times have changed quite a bit, it's not really comparable in terms of anything really.

Besides, while Koivu was never an offensive star, he also didn't really have the support cast to be. He was all about 200ft game and would probably have Selke or two to his name if he had some more help on the wings during his prime to bring up those point totals. For a young franchise it's also about setting a standard with the early retirements, you hope some day a player will retire whose career you can look at and go, "you know, if Koivu's jersey is hanging from the rafters, his really should be too". I don't think it's quite as low a standard as some people make it out to be. Captain for a very long time, over 1000 games as a Wild player and I think no one can question his leadership or dedication to the team.

None of my business either, but if it's something the Wild org and fans want, it's 100% their decision and people should respect that.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Second best Minnesota player to wear #9.

In all seriousness though, I'd say he's fully deserving of the honour.....I wonder who else Minny's got tabbed for number retiring in the coming years.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Second best Minnesota player to wear #9.

In all seriousness though, I'd say he's fully deserving of the honour.....I wonder who else Minny's got tabbed for number retiring in the coming years.

It'll be interesting what the people in favor of this say about Spurgeon, assuming he plays out his contract here. The "accomplishments" will be nearly identical.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Gaborik >>>>>>

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Gaborik >>>>>>

Gaborik shooting an arrow to his injuries?

 

[Dr Pepper]

It'll be interesting what the people in favor of this say about Spurgeon, assuming he plays out his contract here. The "accomplishments" will be nearly identical.

There's no other retired Wild players in the mix? Would've thought Brunette or Gaborik would get there.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

There's no other retired Wild players in the mix? Would've thought Brunette or Gaborik would get there.

Brunette played here for only 6 years, and those 6 years were 321 points in 489 games (less than 54 per 82). He's not even remotely in the conversation.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Brunette played here for only 6 years, and those 6 years were 321 points in 489 games (less than 54 per 82). He's not even remotely in the conversation.

Oh, thought he had played a part in some memorable Wild moments over the years.

What about Gaborik though, guess there's some bad blood there.

 

[adsfan]

I mean, it's kind of a necessary reality for clubs that didn't exist during an era when every team was almost guaranteed to have a HOF'er on their roster.

Number retirements aren't like the Hall of Fame, it's not a best player contest. It's more about telling the story of the franchise. For expansion clubs that's typically going to involve a non-superstar player or two who set the tone for the culture in the first generation of the club's existence -- often, guys who could have been superstars in a more established/contending environment. For O6 teams that's necessarily going to mean first ballot type players, but for expansion clubs it's more like your Mikko Koivu, Rick Nash, Pekka Rinne types.

Vezina Trophy 2018, King Clancy Memorial Trophy 2021, three 40 win seasons, Stanley Cup Finals appearance, part of a President's Trophy winner.

Pekka played 683 NHL games with 60 SO, 2.43 GAA and 0.917 save %. He scored 1 G and 14 A. He was the 7th NHL goalie to shoot a puck into a net.

Only Ron Hextall and Martin Brodeur scored more goals while in net. The 60 shut outs make him 19th all time, ahead of Parent and Giacomin.

Rinne was also a Vezina finalist in 2010-11 and 2011-12, so it wasn't just one season that he was a top NHL goalie.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Oh, thought he had played a part in some memorable Wild moments over the years.

What about Gaborik though, guess there's some bad blood there.

he had the game 7 ot goal to retire Roy, but that’s nowhere near enough.

 

[karhukissa]

Maybe they should wait for 10 years and retire Kaprizov's number? Just baffles me that people are just basing everything around points. Like "Yo brooo he didn't even score 90 points every season how does he get his jersey retired?!?"

I guess people who worked with him on a daily basis for many years knows his value for the franchise and that's why wants to retire his number. Just because he isn't a household name, doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve it.