Aatos Koivu not afraid of Montreal’s pressure

If he is to have as great a career as his father Saku, Aatos Koivu has his work cut out for him. One of the biggest challenges of playing in the Montreal Canadiens organization is probably the media pressure and the immense expectations of the fans.

For some players, this pressure is just too much. One example is Jonathan Drouin, who never really got used to all this pressure.

Usually, the pressure is much greater on Quebecers and star players. But this one won’t spare the son of a former Habs captain.

Despite all this, pressure doesn’t seem to be a problem for Aatos Koivu. This is what he revealed in an interview with TSN.

Aatos Koivu was surprised to receive several supportive messages on IG from Canadiens fans after Montreal picked him in the NHL draft. And the son of Saku Koivu doesn’t mind the increased scrutiny of a Canadian market: https://t.co/U6zSQupcAr pic.twitter.com/GWr3zeYPMQ

– TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) August 1, 2024

Seeing the Canadiens select Koivu in the third round in 2024, many people’s preconceived notion was that this was a heartfelt choice to pay tribute to his father’s career.

But that’s not at all why the Canadiens selected him. If Kent Hughes worked like that, he probably would have drafted his own son, Jack, in 2022. It’s worth remembering that Koivu had an excellent interview with the Canadiens, and that this may have been what forced the Canadiens’ hand.

In his interview with TSN, Koivu confirmed that he has lived with pressure all his life. Being the son of a former NHL captain isn’t easy!

But with all that comes a certain advantage: he knows what to expect if he ever plays for the Canadiens.

Koivu also revealed during the interview that many Canadiens fans sent him messages on his Instagram account after he was drafted. He was pleasantly surprised to see the support from so many people.

We haven’t had a chance to see much game footage of Aatos Koivu yet, but maybe we’ll get a chance to see him play with Finland at the next World Junior Championship.

He even described himself as a player who could be special for his country at this tournament.