TURKU, Finland – Saku Koivu is sitting in the bleachers at Leaf Arena in Turku as 22 young men play in front of him.



But Koivu is not sitting in the bleachers of a hockey rink, and the young men are not playing hockey, though it is similar. They are playing floorball, basically floor hockey, and they are members of TPS Turku’s U-20 hockey team. But make no mistake, Koivu is at work.



He is the director of player development for his former SM-Liiga club in his hometown, overseeing the progression of the program’s young players all the way down to the little kids, and he couldn’t be happier doing it.



Koivu took some time out from his duties Monday morning to chat with The Athletic and answer some questions, including those submitted by our subscribers that come toward the end of the conversation.



I think a lot of people in Montreal would be curious to know what you’re doing, so what is your role with TPS Turku as director...