Lion legend Mikko Koivu landed an NHL job – the address surprises

The captain of the 2011 World Championship team of the Lions, Mikko Koivu, is returning to serve in the NHL organization.

The St. Louis Blues announced on Tuesday that they have hired the 43-year-old Finnish legend as a consultant responsible for the development of European players. Koivu’s task is to work with the European players drafted by the club as part of the Blues’ player development organization.

Koivu has a long and respected NHL career behind him. The Finnish center played in the world’s toughest hockey league for 16 seasons, most of which he spent as the captain of the Minnesota Wild. He played his final NHL games in the jersey of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In the regular season, Koivu recorded an impressive 711 points in 1,035 games. In the playoffs, he collected 28 points in 59 games.

In the national team, Koivu was long one of the key leading players for the Lions. The highlight was the gold medal at the 2011 World Championship, which he raised as the captain of Finland in Bratislava. Additionally, his trophy cabinet includes two World Championship silver medals, two World Championship bronze medals, as well as an Olympic silver and an Olympic bronze.

After retiring from his playing career, Koivu has remained closely involved in hockey. He has worked in coaching and player development roles for his youth club TPS, and now faces a new challenge on the payroll of an NHL organization.

The Blues are adding one of the most respected players in Finnish hockey history to their roster, whose experience in both the NHL and international levels is exceptionally extensive.