TORONTO -- Saku Koivu knows a thing or two about the pressures of being captain of the Montreal Canadiens.
So Koivu, 41, a native of Turku, Finland, knows what current captain Max Pacioretty is going through these days, the latter being criticized by the media and Montreal's fan base for a perceived lack of leadership on a Canadiens team that failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
"It's not easy, but obviously you have to kind of keep the focus on what you're doing and not let the nonsense have an effect on you," said Koivu, who has been at the World Cup of Hockey 2016 as an advisor to Team Finland. "It's not easy when you read these types of (negative) things, but people who work in the hockey business, and the players, know they're not true."
Saku Koivu feels Max Pacioretty's pain
Former Canadiens captain knows what kind of heat current Montreal leader is taking
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