Anaheim’s Saku Koivu Adjusting Well to New Team

Ducks forward Saku Koivu admitted he felt a little weird when he walked into the TD Garden as an Anaheim Duck. Koivu, of course, has played in plenty of games in Boston, but for the last 13 seasons, he has done so as captain of the Montreal Canadiens, taking part in the storied Bruins-Habs rivalry.

“Well, it’s a familiar building, and I’ve played here many times, but obviously, wearing a different jersey, it’s been a different experience,” Koivu acknowledged after Thursday’s morning skate. “It’s still an adjustment for me, but it’s been fun so far, and I’m happy to be back here wearing the Ducks jersey.”

Koivu still has plenty of connections on the Bruins, though. He’s played alongside forwards Michael Ryder, Steve Begin and Mark Recchi at various points of his career and also was coached by Bruins head coach Claude Julien from 2004 to 2006. Koivu and Julien still hold the utmost respect for each other.

“As a rookie coach in the NHL, being in a difficult place like Montreal, it’s not an easy job, but [Julien] did a terrific job, and it was an unfortunate thing when he got fired,” Koivu said. “But I’m sure he learned a lot from that time, and I’m sure it made him a better coach and person for having gone through that. He’s a successful coach now, and I’m happy for him.”

Julien expressed the same sentiments for Koivu and also called out the Montreal fans and members of the media who constantly ridiculed Koivu for not being a French-Canadian captain. Julien is happy that his former captain is distanced from that and has a clean slate in Anaheim.

“I really think they were too hard on him in Montreal — not [in] the organization, but outside the organization,” Julien said. “Even what he’s gone through on a personal note and then what he had to deal with — I’ll call it crap — from the outside, I just think I respect him even more for that. He never created waves and he just played through it. So it’s nice to see him end up somewhere where he’s going to see a big difference in terms of that and media spotlight. He can just play hockey, enjoy the game and life a lot more.”

Julien recalled how Koivu always played with heart and determination a lot bigger than his 5-foot-10, 178-pound frame.

“He leads by example, a quiet leader,” Julien said of Koivu. “But every practice, he works the hardest, and for a guy his size, he was one of the toughest, too, and that’s remarkable. He was very coachable, and I enjoyed my time with him.”

Koivu’s courage and heart was evident when Julien, Koivu and the Canadiens came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Bruins in the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, winning a decisive Game 7 in Boston.

“That line with him — [Richard] Zednik and [Alex] Kovalev — was amazing, and he battled so hard getting us back into the series,” Julien recalled. “It never came out, but he had some rib issues and he wanted to keep playing. He was tough. He sucked it up and helped us win that series.”

Recchi — who played with Koivu for five seasons (1994-99) and roomed with him on the road — still treasures his time with the Finnish winger.

“It’s going to be weird seeing him in a different jersey, but no matter where he is, I’ll always think the world of him,” Recchi said. “He was a wonderful captain for the Montreal Canadiens for a long time, but now I think he’ll get a big breath of fresh air in Anaheim. They have a good team there, and he doesn’t have to always be the main guy, so he can just play his game. But that’s not to say he won’t be dangerous playing with Teemu Selanne and be good. He can play hockey without the side stuff now.”

Bruins forward Steve Begin also got to play with Koivu for the last four seasons and just like Recchi, he appreciated his leadership and class.

“He is a great leader,” Begin said. “He’s a warrior, and for his size, he goes in traffic and he’s not scared. He’s a good two-way player, and I loved playing with him. He was a great captain for the Montreal Canadiens. They were tough on him, and it wasn’t fair,” Begin said. “Sometimes, people came to me and said, ‘Did you hear what happened, or what they said about Saku?’ It wasn’t fair, but he handled it well. He knew how Montreal was, and he did a good job [there].”

Begin and Koivu shared also shared some pre-skate laughs over their new uniforms.

“He told me that it feels weird, and the first time he put the jersey on, it hit him that he wasn’t in Montreal anymore,” Begin said. “I told him that was the same for me when I saw the big B on my chest, but he said, ‘Don’t worry, you look good with the B in front of you.’”