For the first time in his career, Wild captain Mikko Koivu has the inside track to be the captain for Team Finland at an Olympic Games.
In November, Erkka Westerland, head coach of Finland, told the Star Tribune that the captain of the team would either be Saku Koivu or his younger brother and Wild star Mikko.
Saku has served as Finland’s captain since 1998, but a concussion forced him to withdraw from Olympic consideration, leaving only Mikko to represent the Koivu’s.
Now, sitting just four days from opening ceremonies, Mikko may be missing for Finland as well.
After having surgery to repair a broken ankle that was suffered while blocking a shot in Minnesota’s 5-3 win over the Capitals Jan. 4, Koivu has missed every game since, and Wild head coach Mike Yeo said his status for Minnesota’s final two games before the Olympic break are “highly in doubt.”
That leaves Koivu’s availability for the Olympics in severe peril as well, and should he miss the Games it would deal a massive blow to Finland and Koivu alike, the ninth-year veteran saying over the weekend of the possible captaincy “whew, it’s a huge honor.”
He’ll have to make it there first, something that seems as if it could go either way at this point.
