MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, who led the team in scoring last season just a year after battling cancer, signed a two-year contract Friday.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but The Sports Network of Canada reported Koivu will be paid $4.25 million this season and $4.5 million in 2004-05.

One of only three Canadiens who played all 82 games last season, Koivu established career highs with 21 goals and 50 assists. He led the team with five game-winning goals.

"Saku is extremely committed to the success of the Montreal Canadiens organization," first-year general manager Bob Gainey said. "He showed a great deal of perseverance and leadership since joining the Canadiens eight years ago."

Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in September 2001. He made an emotional return to the lineup with three games remaining in the 2001-02 season and received the Bill Masterton Trophy, which recognizes perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

A 28-year-old Finn, Koivu has spent his entire eight-year career with Montreal and has 106 goals and 237 assists in 429 games. His younger brother, Mikko, was selected by the Minnesota Wild with the sixth overall pick in the 2001 draft.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1610140

Habs' Kilger suffers serious eye injury

TSN.ca Staff

9/16/2003

The Montreal Canadiens received some bad news on the injury front on Tuesday, as forward Chad Kilger has suffered a multiple fracture in his left orbital bone and was hemorrhaging because of the injury.

Kilger required stitches on Monday after being caught in the left eye with an errant stick in practice.

TSN's sister station RDS reports that because of the severity of the hemorrhaging, the team's doctors cannot carry out thorough examinations.

The Canadiens re-signed Kilger to a two-year, $1.6-million US deal in July. General Manager Bob Gainey signed Kilger for $800,000 for this season and $800,000 for 2004-05.

Kilger, 26, had nine goals and seven assists in 60 games last season.

More details to follow.

tsn

25.9.2003 NHL-Saisonstart ohne Saku Koivu
(sid) Am vergangenen Wochenende verletzte sich der Finne Saku Koivu (Montreal Canadiens) während des Freundschaftsspiels gegen die Ottawa Senators am rechten Knie. Die Diagnose: drei bis vier Wochen Pause für den Angreifer. Damit wird der Finne den Canadiens beim Saisonauftakt am 9. Oktober in Ottawa nicht zur Verfügung stehen. Auch der Einsatz beim ersten Heimspiel der Saison am 14. Oktober gegen die Washington Capitals scheint derzeit fraglich.
Der 29 Jahre alte Spieler muss dabei erstmals wegen einer Verletzung am rechten Knie pausieren. In der Vergangenheit hatte das linke Knie häufig für Probleme gesorgt. In der Vergangenheit musste der Spieler bereits mehrfach pausieren. Während der Saison 2001/2002 musste der Publikumsliebling wegen einer schweren Krebserkrankung passen. Hinterher feierte er allerdings ein umjubeltes Comeback in der NHL. In der vergangenen Saison konnte Koivu alle 82 Spiele der regulären Saison absolvieren und erzielte dabei 21 Tore und 50 Assists.
http://www.hockeyfans.ch/