Minnesota Wild to retire Mikko Koivu No. 9 jersey Sunday at Xcel Energy Center
MINNEAPOLIS - Mikko Koivu spent 15 seasons with the Minnesota Wild and on Sunday, will become the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired at Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild host the Nashville Predators, and Koivu will be honored at a pregame ceremony slated to start at 5 p.m. Gates at Xcel Energy Center will open at 3:45, and fans wanting to watch the ceremony should be in their seats by 5 p.m.
The ceremony will include speeches from Koivu himself, and Wild Owner Craig Leipold. Guests expected to be in attendance include Koivu’s parents, his brother Saku and his family, former Wild general managers Chuck Fletcher and Doug Risebrough, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and more than 20 of Koivu’s former Wild teammates. The Wild will also have a video tribute for Koivu.
"I think it’s very hard to describe. It’s just, now that you feel that it’s kind of building up when it’s getting closer and closer, family and friends are coming into town. So it’s starting to build up for myself. But very humbled," Koivu told reporters on Wednesday. "I think it’s natural also looking back, how much has happened and how fast it all went. The people around me that you had a chance to be with, and the fans, you just look at the environment and you just appreciate everything that I’ve been able to experience here."
Former Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu talked Tuesday about having his No. 9 jersey, the first in franchise history, retired in March.
All fans attending Sunday’s game will receive a "Koivu 9" replica banner. Current Wild players will wear special No. 9 Koivu jerseys for on-ice warmups. The jerseys will feature a retirement patch and a captain "C," with the current Wild players numbers on the front. Koivu and each player will autograph each jersey, which will then be auctioned online on Sunday through March 23.
The Minnesota Wild Foundation is pledging $5,000 to Children’s Minnesota for Koivu’s retirement. The foundation is also offering a limited amount of autographed mini helmets with his No. 9 and retirement patch decal. They will be on sale as long as they’re available for $100 in Section 104 at Xcel Energy Center, with proceeds benefiting the Wild Foundation.
Koivu has worked closely with the Minnesota Wild Foundation to support children’s medical initiatives, including sponsoring two patient rooms at the Neuroscience and Epilepsy Center at Children’s Minnesota in St. Paul.
On the ice, Koivu was one of the most consistent players in franchise history over 15 seasons. In 1,028 career games with the Wild, Koivu recorded 709 points, including 205 goals. He is the Wild’s all-time franchise leader in games played, assists (504), points, power-play points (251), multi-point games (153), game-deciding goals (18) and playoff games played (59).
Koivu was the No. 6 overall pick by the Wild in 2001, and became the franchise’s first full-time captain in October of 2009. He carried that duty until 2020, when Jared Spurgeon was named captain.
"I think for me right now, I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I can. These days leading up to it and then trying to enjoy Sunday, the whole day. It is a celebration, so I’m sure it’s going to be emotional but also hopefully it’ll be a fun night for all of us. For me or my friends and family, I don’t think they all realized how big of a moment it’s going to be and how special, so I’m excited for that," Koivu said. "I was always very proud to be a member of this team, the State of Hockey. You don’t realize when you first come into Minnesota, you don’t realize how much it means. That’s always been special to me."
Koivu signed with the Blue Jackets for the 2020-21 season, and recorded two assists and one goal in seven games before announcing his retirement from the NHL.