Wild elated over Koivu's return to ice

Maybe it's that Mikko Koivu's a coach's son. Maybe it's that he grew up playing in Finland, where the wingers forecheck and the center thinks defense.

Or maybe Mikko Koivu simply recognizes what it takes for teams, especially in the West, to be successful.

Whether it's A, B or C -- or all of the above, the reality is few Wild forwards consider defense more a priority that the Wild's 23-year-old defensive stalwart. It's one reason why the Wild, abnormally average defensively, is so ecstatic to have No. 9 back after 24 games off because of a broken leg.

"Defense can be a dirty word to a player," General Manager Doug Risebrough said. "But a guy like Mikko is inspired by that. It's not a dirty word to Mikko. It's a task. It's a challenge.

"Sometimes you say to a guy, 'I want you to play a little more defensively,' and he's like, 'Oh God, does that mean I'm not going to touch the puck?' You've got to convince them about that stuff. I've never had that conversation with Mikko."

Koivu's father, Jukka, who coached TPS Turku in the Finnish Elite League, helped teach him the defensive game. "So it's always come natural to me," Mikko Koivu said. "It's always been like that. In junior, I even stayed back too much. I always wanted to be responsible."

Koivu's aim though is to be one of the NHL's top two-way forwards, meaning taking care of his own end while also contributing offensively.

"I want to create offense and make some points," he said. "Without that, my game isn't where I want to be. I've always had the most respect for players who do it both ways. That's the players I look up to, and that's what I want to be."

For years, Koivu's looked up to a number of two-way countrymen, including Hall of Famer Jari Kurri, Dallas' Jere Lehtinen and his brother, Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu.

It's easy to see those players' goals and assists. It's a lot trickier to pick up on their defensive subtleties.

"Fans usually just see the goals, the points, right?" Mikko Koivu said. "It's kind of the way it is, but if you focus in on a player, like those guys or Rod Brind'Amour or Mats Sundin, you see more what he is and more what he brings to the table."

Last season, Koivu scored a career-high 20 goals and 54 points. With 17 points in 21 games in Year 3, Koivu's averaging a little under a point a game, which would have put him on pace to shatter those numbers if he hadn't missed half the season.

As reliable as Koivu is defensively, Risebrough is hoping he takes that next step offensively.

"He's got the upside to be a good solid offensive player who can contribute in a lot of offensive situations," Risebrough said, stressing the word 'offensive.' "I've always believed that there's a responsibility that a player has to have in his [defensive] zone, and Mikko understands that.

"But I don't want him to be just a good two-way player. He's a good offensive player who can contribute in a lot of offensive situations and inherently understands, which very few people do, the importance of down there [in the defensive end]."

After two months off, Koivu, in two games, hasn't missed a beat defensively. Offensively, he still is trying to rediscover his timing.

"We could see last game he could've made some plays and he doesn't see it, so he keeps the puck and tries to beat people," coach Jacques Lemaire said. "When he's at his best, he chooses the right play."

Koivu said he is feeling more comfortable, "but it'll take some time to get where I want to be. Strength-wise, I feel better than I thought I would feel. I feel good, but you can always feel better, right?"

Koivu is just glad to be back and got a kick out of Lemaire pretending he forgot whom Koivu was during the injury, routinely asking, "Who?" when queried by reporters.

"I couldn't remember his face for awhile either, so I guess we're even," Koivu quipped.