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July 2, 2010

Ducks sign D Lydman, re-sign C Lydman

ANAHEIM. – The Anaheim Ducks signed defenseman Toni Lydman to a three-year, $9 million contract and re-signed center Saku Koivu to a two-year, $5 million deal on Thursday.

Lydman, 32, appeared in 67 games for the Buffalo Sabres last season, collecting 20 points (4-16) with a plus-10 rating and 30 penalty minutes (PIM). He also added an assist in six Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Sabres. Among Buffalo defensemen, Lydman ranked first in hits (126), second in blocked shots (98) and third in plus/minus and shots (77) during the regular season.
 
Originally selected by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round (89th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Lydman has played nine NHL seasons with Calgary (2000-04) and Buffalo (2005-10). In 660 career NHL games, Lydman has scored 198 points (33-165) with a plus-14 rating and 451 PIM. He is also a veteran of 46 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring 11 points (3-8) with 40 PIM. In his last six campaigns dating back to 2003-04, Lydman has posted a plus-36 rating during the regular season.
 
A native of Lahti, Finland, Lydman has appeared in the last two Olympic Winter Games for his country, winning a bronze medal in 2010 at Vancouver and silver in 2006 at Turin. He appeared in six Olympic contests during the 2010 Games in Vancouver, going scoreless with a +1 rating and two PIM. Lydman has also played for Finland at the World Championships (1998, 1999) and World Cup (2004).

Koivu, 35, appeared in his first season with Anaheim in 2009-10, scoring 52 points (19-33) with a career-high plus-14 rating in 71 contests. He eclipsed the 50-point mark for the seventh consecutive season, while also ranking tied for 10th in the NHL in game-winning goals (6).

Among team leaders, the 5-foot-10, 178-pound center ranked fourth in both assists and points, and led the club in plus/minus and faceoff percentage (51.4%). He scored his 200th career NHL goal on Jan. 5 vs. Detroit and appeared in his 800th career NHL game on Oct. 21 vs. Dallas. Koivu appeared in his fourth career Olympic Winter Games as a member of Team Finland in 2010 at Vancouver, winning the bronze medal. With Finnish teammates Jere Lehtinen and Ville Peltonen, he earned a share of the all-time Olympic men’s hockey record for career medals with four (also silver in 2006 & bronze in 1994 and 1998).
 
A native of Turku, Finland, Koivu is a veteran of 14 NHL seasons, 13 of which were played with the Montreal Canadiens. In 863 career NHL games, he has scored 693 points (210-483) with 659 PIM and a plus-4 rating. He served as the Canadiens’ team captain for 10 years (1999-2009), tied for the longest serving captain in Montreal’s 100-year history (also Jean Beliveau). Koivu is a two-time All-Star, having been named to the 1998 and 2003 All-Star Games. He has also appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on eight occasions, earning 48 points (16-32) in 54 contests.
 
Selected by Montreal in the first round (21st overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Koivu won the Bill Masterton Trophy following the 2001-02 season, presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. This honor followed his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as he returned to the ice just seven months after he was diagnosed in September 2001. He helped Montreal advance to the Conference Semifinals that season, appearing in all 12 of the Canadiens’ postseason contests, earning 10 points (4-6). Koivu has also been honored with the 2007 King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his work with the Saku Koivu Foundation, formed in 2002 to help raise funds for cancer-fighting equipment.