Serge Savard

Template:Short description Template:Infobox ice hockey player Serge Aubrey Savard Template:Post-nominals (born January 22, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, most famously with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also served as the Canadiens' Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations and as their general manager. He is a businessman in Montreal, and is nicknamed "The Senator." In 2017 Savard was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Playing career

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. (Wayne Cashman was the last, as he and the Boston Bruins advanced further in the playoffs that year than the Jets did.)

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. Template:Efn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Savard has said that it was Doug Harvey, a Montreal defenseman whom Savard idolized, who created the move which inspired him.<ref>Legends of Hockey:Serge Savard. YouTube video.</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Post-playing career

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 .

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.Template:Citation needed 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 .Template:Citation needed

In 1998, he was ranked number 81 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Since 1993, Savard has been a partner in a firm of real-estate developers, Thibault, Messier, Savard & Associates, based in Montreal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On November 18, 2006, the Montreal Canadiens retired his jersey number 18 in a ceremony at the Bell Centre.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name was a Spanish translation of his nickname.

Savard has been a longtime fan of harness racing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He has co-owned many successful horses, including Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Shadow Play<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Meadowlands Pace champion Lawless Shadow.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

• Won Stanley Cup — seven as a player (1968, 1969, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979), and two as a manager (1986, and 1993), all with the Montreal Canadiens
• Won Conn Smythe Trophy — 1969
• Named an NHL Second-Team All-Star — 1979
• Played in 4 NHL All-Star Games — 1970, 1973, 1977, 1978
• Won Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy — 1979
• Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame — 1986
• In 1998, he was ranked number 81 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1963–64	Montreal Junior Canadiens	OHA-Jr.		56	3	31	34	72		17	1	7	8	30
1965–65	Montreal Junior Canadiens	OHA-Jr.		56	14	33	47	81		7	2	3	5	8
1964–65	Omaha Knights	CPHL		2	0	0	0	0		4	0	1	1	4
1965–66	Montreal Junior Canadiens	OHA-Jr.		20	8	10	18	33		10	1	4	5	20
1966–67	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1966–67	Houston Apollos	CPHL		68	7	25	32	155		5	1	3	4	17
1966–67	Quebec Aces	AHL		—	—	—	—	—		1	0	0	0	2
1967–68	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	2	13	15	34		6	2	0	2	0
1968–69	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		74	8	23	31	73		14	4	6	10	24
1969–70	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		64	12	19	31	38		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		37	5	10	15	30		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		23	1	8	9	16		6	0	0	0	10
1972–73	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		74	7	32	39	58		17	3	8	11	22
1973–74	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		67	4	14	18	49		6	1	1	2	4
1974–75	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	20	40	60	64		11	1	7	8	2
1975–76	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		71	8	39	47	38		13	3	6	9	6
1976–77	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		78	9	33	42	35		14	2	7	9	2
1977–78	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		77	8	34	42	24		15	1	7	8	8
1978–79	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		80	7	26	33	30		16	2	7	9	6
1979–80	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		46	5	8	13	18		2	0	0	0	0
1980–81	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		77	4	13	17	30		3	0	0	0	0
1981–82	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		47	2	5	7	26		5	0	0	0	2
1982–83	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		76	4	16	20	29		3	0	0	0	2
NHL totals				1,040	106	333	439	592		130	19	49	68	88

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1972	Canada	SS		5	0	2	2	0
1976	Canada	CC		7	0	3	3	0
Senior totals				12	0	5	5	0

See also

• Captain
• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played

References

• "One on One with Serge Savard" by Kevin Shea, December 16, 2003, retrieved August 10, 2006

External links

• Template:Icehockeystats