MONTREAL, June 21 (UPI) -- Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, who made a remarkable recovery from stomach cancer and tied for the team lead in playoff scoring this past season, signed a one-year contract on Friday.
As a restricted free agent, Koivu accepted the Canadiens' qualifying offer of $3.3 million, the same amount he earned last season.
Thursday, Koivu was named the winner of the Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Koivu was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer last September after undergoing a series of comprehensive tests at Montreal General Hospital. He underwent multi-drug chemotherapy and tests in February revealed no traces of the disease.
Although doctors believed he would not play until the 2002-03 season, Koivu returned on April 9 and played in the last three games of the regular season. Amazingly, he also participated in all 12 of Montreal's playoff games and tallied four goals and six assists as the Canadiens upset top-seeded Boston in the first round before falling to Carolina in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"His courage, perseverance and great desire to return to action were awarded with his selection as the winner of the Masterton Trophy, a well deserved honor," said Canadiens general manager Andre Savard. "The return of our captain is a remarkable source of motivation for the entire organization and for the world of hockey."
Koivu decided not to attend the awards ceremony Thursday in Toronto, instead remaining in Finland to concentrate on his offseason conditioning program.
Koivu has spent his entire seven-year NHL career with the Canadiens, totaling 85 goals and 187 assists for 272 points in 347 games. He tied for the team lead in scoring in 2000-01 with 47 points in 54 games, missing 28 contests with a torn left MCL.
