Koivu signs...official release

For Immediate Release
Thursday, July 15, 2010

MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS CENTER MIKKO
KOIVU THRU 2017-18 SEASON

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed team captain Mikko Koivu to a seven-year contract extension starting with the 2011-12 season thru the 2017-18 NHL campaign.

“I am pleased to announce that our captain, Mikko Koivu, has signed a seven-year contract extension which will keep him in a Wild uniform through the 2017-18 season,” said Fletcher. “This is an historic day for the Wild. Mikko is the flag in the ground that we will build our team around. He is our franchise player, an excellent leader and an exceptional hockey player.”

Koivu, 27 (3/12/83), led the Wild in points (71) and assists (49) for the second consecutive season and set new career highs in goals (22), assists and points in 2009-10. His assist total was one shy of the Wild record set by Pierre-Marc Bouchard in 2007-08 and his point total was the third highest in club history. The 6-foot-2, 214-pound center also led the team with 20 multi-point games. Koivu ranked second in the NHL in face-offs won, seventh in faceoffs taken and eighth in faceoff percentage (56.9). He also ranked tied for 16th in the NHL in assists, tied for 23^rd in scoring and 16^th amongst forwards in average time on ice (20:44).

He was named the first full-time captain in team history on Oct. 20, 2009 and has appeared in 362 games with Minnesota tallying 255 points (79-176=255) and 256 PIM in five seasons. Koivu owns 58 career multi-point games and the Wild is 42-11-5 in those contests. He ranks tied for second on the Wild’s all-time list in SHG (seven), third in assists, multi-point games and shots (884), fourth in points, fifth in goals and seventh in games played. Koivu has won 52.8% of faceoffs in his career.

He has represented Finland at the last two Winter Olympics recording four assists in six games to earn a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and captured a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. The native of Turku, Finland, was originally selected by Minnesota in the first round (No. 6) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

2010-2011 Season Tickets including new 10-game and 20-game partial season ticket plans are now available for select Lower Level and Treasure Island Resort & Casino Club level seats. More information on Season Tickets is available at www.wild.com, or by contacting a Wild Ticket Sales Representative at 651-222-WILD.

-- WILD --