Serge Savard

Lore & Background

Savard played minor league hockey with the Montreal Junior Canadiens and the Omaha Knights. He made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens in 1966-67. In 1968–69, his second full NHL season, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player, the first defenceman to do so. His early playing career was marked by two broken legs, in 1970 and 1971. In fifteen seasons with the Canadiens, Savard played on seven Stanley Cup championship teams: 1967-68, 1968-69, 1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, and 1978-79, the most by any defenceman (the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1970-71 but Savard did not play in the playoffs because of a broken leg, his second in two years). In 1978–79, he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to the game. Savard played the last two seasons of his career with the Winnipeg Jets before retiring in 1983. He was the second last active player of the Original Six era. Savard was known for the 'Savardian Spin-o-rama', a quick pivoting turn with the puck done in order to evade opponents; the term was coined by sportscaster Danny Gallivan. Savard has said that it was Doug Harvey, a Montreal defenseman whom Savard idolized, who created the move which inspired him. Savard played for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. He was in the starting lineup for games 2 and 3 in Toronto and Winnipeg. He suffered a hairline fracture in his leg which forced him to sit out games 4 and 5. He returned to the lineup for the last three games, and was the only Canadian player to play in the 4 wins, and 1 tie game, without having played in a game they lost.

Reader's Guide

After Savard retired as a player, he was named the general manager of the Canadiens, and served as the general manager of the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League. Savard won the Calder Cup with Sherbrooke in 1985. He was the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens when they won the Stanley Cup in 1985-86 and 1992-93. Savard was dismissed after a poor start to the 1995-96 season, after the Canadiens missed the playoffs in 1994-95. In 1994 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2004, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. He is currently the chairman of the annual Canada Day festivities in Montreal. He lived a few years in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec. His son Marc ran unsuccessfully in the 2004 Canadian federal election for the Liberal Party in the riding of Saint-Bruno-Saint-Hubert. In 1998, he was ranked number 81 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. Since 1993, Savard has been a partner in a firm of real-estate developers, Thibault, Messier, Savard & Associates, based in Montreal. In September 2004, Savard was arrested in Montreal under suspicion of drunk driving. He pleaded not guilty in November 2004, but changed his plea to guilty in May 2006. On November 18, 2006, the Montreal Canadiens retired his jersey number 18 in a ceremony at the Bell Centre. In April 2012 after the dismissal of Pierre Gauthier, Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson called upon Savard to assist and advise him in the team's search for a new general manager. Savard was part-owner in a resort called El Senador located in Cayo Coco, Cuba until it was sold in 2005. The name was a Spanish translation of his nickname. Savard has been a longtime fan of harness racing. He has co-owned many successful horses, including Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Shadow Play and Meadowlands Pace champion Lawless Shadow.

Did You Know?

• He won seven Stanley Cups as a player with the Montreal Canadiens, the most by any defenceman.
• Savard was the only Canadian player in the 1972 Summit Series to play in all four wins and one tie without playing in a loss.
• His jersey number 18 was retired by the Montreal Canadiens on November 18, 2006.