Koivu

MONTREAL -- After getting over the shock of learning he had abdominal cancer, Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu sought some inspiration.

"He asked us to bring him a copy of Lance Armstrong's book when we go back to visit him later today," defenseman Craig Rivet said Thursday after he and teammate Brian Savage visited Koivu.

With surgery ruled out as an option, the 26-year-old center will begin chemotherapy as soon as the type of cancer is determined, a process that could take up to two weeks.

Rivet and Savage said Koivu was in better spirits a day after he received the grim diagnosis.

"He seemed to be a lot more cheerful, but he's obviously scared," Savage said. "Just the unknown of what kind of cancer it is is pretty difficult for him right now."

Pittsburgh star Mario Lemieux, diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1993, had encouraging words for Koivu.

"It's not easy when you're in that situation, but you have to battle and you have to be very strong mentally," Lemieux said Thursday after an afternoon skate with the Canadian Olympic team in Calgary, Alberta.

"And I think he is, just from what some of the guys have said over the years and watching him play over the years. He's always battling and hopefully that can translate into his private life."

Koivu's toughest moments came Wednesday, when he was advised that malignant cells had been found in his abdomen.

"We were there about 10 minutes after he was told that he did have cancer so it was a pretty rough time, a pretty emotional time for him," Rivet said. "We didn't get to spend a whole lot time with him. It was kind of a shock for all of us in there."

Koivu was hospitalized for tests Tuesday night after complaining of abdominal pain and vomiting following his arrival from his native Finland on Monday.

An ultrasound exam showed an abnormal buildup of fluid in a chamber of Koivu's abdominal cavity, said team physician Dr. David Mulder. Fluid taken from the area contained malignant cells, he said, and now further biopsies and other testing is taking place to learn more about the illness.

"We found malignant cells. They would basically fall into two broad categories," Mulder said. "One we're looking at would be in the field of lymphomas, which is cancer of the lymph system. The other would be a tumor in any other part of the abdominal cavity.

"We're hoping that this will be a kind of lymphoma. Now the best kind of lymphoma is Hodgkin's, and then the worst kind is almost like an acute leukemia, associated with a high mortality rate. We're hoping he'll have the good kind."

Koivu's NHL career has been plagued with injuries.

"Throughout his career, Saku has shown a fierce determination to overcome adversity," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. "The thoughts and prayers of the entire hockey world are with Saku and his family."

Koivu missed 28 games last season with a knee injury that required surgery, and finished with 17 goals and 30 assists. He has 85 goals and 185 assists in 344 games in six seasons with Montreal.

Mulder said it was too soon to talk about Koivu's possible return to the Canadiens.

"I'm not ruling out a return to play hockey, but don't ask for a time," Mulder said, mentioning how Armstrong came back from testicular cancer to win the Tour de France three straight times.

"I've known Saku for a long time. He's a tough guy. He takes things well. It's been a very hard thing for him to accept. He's fought many battles and he'll fight this one."

Canadiens president Pierre Boivin wasn't expecting such a severe diagnosis.

"I was devastated. There's no other way to respond," Boivin said. "You always expect all kinds of things, but not that."

Koivu's teammates gathered Thursday at the Molson Center to learn about his condition.

"He's our captain," coach Michel Therrien said. "But to be quite honest, I haven't thought about what's going to happen to our team since I got the news last night. My only concern right now is for Saku and his family."

Philadelphia forward Mark Recchi, a former linemate of Koivu's with the Canadiens, was stunned by the news.

"I just want to get the opportunity to get up there right away and spend some time with him," said Recchi, who planned to fly to Montreal at the end of the Team Canada's camp.

"We have a very special friendship. I consider him one of my best friends. We've kept in very close contact even with me leaving Montreal. We were roommates for almost four years on the road."

The team received over 400 messages of encouragement for Koivu in less than two hours after setting up an e-mail address -- sakukoivu@canadiens.com -- for well-wishers.