Denis Savard

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Lore & Background

Savard was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1980 and quickly became a key component of the team for the decade. He recorded a 20-goal season in each of his first thirteen seasons, which included five 100-point seasons. He led the Blackhawks to the Conference Finals four times, losing each time, three times to Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers (1983, 1985, 1990). Savard is known for the spin' o rama move, a tactic in hockey used to create distance between the puck carrier and opponent. Savard won one Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Savard also played with the Tampa Bay Lightning for two seasons before returning to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1994, where he retired at the close of the 1996–97 season.

In Their Own Story

On June 29, 1990, Savard was infamously traded to the Montreal Canadiens for star defenceman Chris Chelios and a second-round pick (Mike Pomichter), a transaction considered largely in Chicago's favor as Chelios produced some of his best seasons with the Blackhawks while Savard's career began to decline. However, Savard returned to glory in 1993. Kept out of much of the postseason due to an ankle fracture, he served essentially as an assistant coach by game five. After that clinching game, when Canadiens captain Guy Carbonneau took the Cup, he beckoned Savard to join him and let him hoist it first. This broke tradition; normally, as an alternate captain who had waited the longest to win the Cup, Savard would have gotten the first lap only after the captain. He later signed with Tampa Bay in 1993 before returning to Chicago on April 6, 1995, for a 1996 sixth-round pick (Xavier Delisle), ending his career where it started.

Reader's Guide

After his playing career ended, he joined the coaching staff of the Blackhawks. In 2006, he was named head coach of the Blackhawks, where he coached three seasons until 2008. He currently serves as an ambassador for the Blackhawks' organization.

Did You Know?

• Savard played in the 1973 and 1974 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Verdun, Quebec.
• Savard was not the highest drafted player in Blackhawks' history; the team had previously selected first overall in 1963 (Garry Monahan) and 1969 (Réjean Houle), while Savard was taken third overall in 1980.
• Savard set the Blackhawks' record (since broken) for most points by a rookie with 75.
• His trademark move, the 'Savardian Spin-o-rama', was a term coined by Danny Gallivan referencing a move performed by Serge Savard.
• Savard was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Chris Chelios and a second-round pick on June 29, 1990.