Report: Ducks' Saku Koivu announces retirement

Saku Koivu, a 39-year-old centerman and former Montreal Canadiens captain, announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

"Now it was the right time to stop playing," Koivu told Finnish paper Turun Sanomat via google translate. "The decision is the result of a long reflection I've done internally. [...] I feel that this is one hundred percent (the) right decision for myself and my family."

The veteran playmaker played 19 seasons in the NHL, racking up 255 career goals and 832 career points in 1124 games. Though he never won the Stanley Cup, Koivu won four Olympic Medals representing Suomi (three bronze and one silver) and World Championship gold in 1995.

The two-time NHL all-star will be best remembered for his 10-year tenure as the captain of the Montreal Canadiens. It was during that time that Koivu was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma, an illness that cost him almost the entirety of the 2001-02 NHL season. Koivu beat the disease and made a near-miraculous, and unforgettable, return late in the season.

Even for a storied NHL franchise like the Canadiens, this moment stands out as something special:

[Courtesy NHL.com]

A consistent 50-point player throughout his career, Koivu remained effective even as his offensive production atrophied in his late 30s. In recent years, he centered a subtly effective checking line, flanked by wingers Andrew Cogliano and Daniel Winnik with the Anaheim Ducks. His under-rated defensive work during the lockout-shortened season of 2012-13 likely should have garnered Selke Trophy consideration.