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Denis Savard
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2000
Bobby Hull! (4691880892).jpg
Savard in 2010
Born (1961-02-04) February 4, 1961 (age 64)
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Chicago Blackhawks
Montreal Canadiens
Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 1980
Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1980–1997
Website http://www.savard18.com

Denis Joseph Savard, born on February 4, 1961, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1980 to 1997. Savard was chosen for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' ever.

Savard was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks and became a key player for them in the 1980s. He led the Blackhawks to the Conference Finals four times. He is famous for his special move called the "spin-o-rama". This move helps a player create space from defenders while carrying the puck. Savard won one Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. He also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning before returning to the Blackhawks. After retiring as a player, he coached the Blackhawks. Today, he is an ambassador for the team. Savard was born in Gatineau, Quebec, and grew up in Montreal.

Playing Career

As a young player, Savard played in the 1973 and 1974 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments. He played for a team from Verdun, Quebec.

In the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens had the first pick. Many fans hoped they would pick Savard. Instead, the Canadiens chose Doug Wickenheiser. Savard was then picked third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the highest drafted player in Blackhawks' history for a long time. This record was broken when Patrick Kane was drafted first overall in 2007.

Savard started his NHL career in the 1980–81 NHL season. In his very first game, he had three assists. He set a new Blackhawks' record for most points by a rookie with 75. This record has since been broken.

He was well-known for his signature move, the 'Savardian Spin-o-rama'. This move involved Savard spinning in a full circle with the puck. It helped him get past defenders and even goaltenders.

Savard played for the Blackhawks in two different periods. His first time was from the 1980–81 season to the 1989–90 season. He returned later from 1994–95 to 1996–97. In between, he played for the Montreal Canadiens (1990–91 to 1992–93). He also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning (1993–94 to 1994–95).

On June 29, 1990, Savard was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. In return, the Blackhawks received star defenceman Chris Chelios. Savard won the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1993. He was injured during much of that postseason.

He joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as a free agent in 1993. He played there for a season and a half. On April 6, 1995, Savard was traded back to Chicago. His NHL career ended where it began, with the Blackhawks.

In 1,196 NHL games, Savard scored 473 goals and made 865 assists. This gave him a total of 1338 points. Only Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita have more points in Chicago Blackhawks history. Five times in his career, he scored at least 100 points. For seven years in a row, he scored at least 30 goals. His best season was 1987–88 with 131 points. His highest goal total was 47 in 1985–86. In 169 playoff games, he scored 66 goals and 109 assists, totaling 175 points.

Savard officially retired from hockey on June 26, 1997. On March 19, 1998, the Blackhawks honored him by retiring his jersey number #18. Savard was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 13, 2000.

Awards and Achievements

Denis Savard earned many awards and honors during his career:

Savard ranks among the top players in NHL history for career points and assists. He also had a great record in playoff goals, assists, and points. He achieved 12 regular season hat tricks and 3 playoff hat tricks. He was nominated for the Hart Trophy four times (1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88). This award goes to the league's most valuable player.

Career Statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1977–78 Montreal Juniors QMJHL 72 37 79 116 22 13 3 17 20 0
1978–79 Montreal Juniors QMJHL 70 46 112 158 88 11 5 6 11 46
1979–80 Montreal Juniors QMJHL 72 63 118 181 93 10 7 16 23 8
1980–81 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 76 28 47 75 47 3 0 0 0 0
1981–82 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 80 32 87 119 82 15 11 7 18 52
1982–83 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 78 35 86 121 99 13 8 9 17 22
1983–84 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 75 37 57 94 71 5 1 3 4 9
1984–85 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 79 38 67 105 56 15 9 20 29 20
1985–86 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 80 47 69 116 111 3 4 1 5 6
1986–87 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 40 50 90 108 4 1 0 1 12
1987–88 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 80 44 87 131 95 5 4 3 7 17
1988–89 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 58 23 59 82 110 16 8 11 19 10
1989–90 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 60 23 57 80 56 20 7 15 22 41
1990–91 Montreal Canadiens NHL 70 28 31 59 52 13 2 11 13 35
1991–92 Montreal Canadiens NHL 77 28 42 70 73 11 3 9 12 8
1992–93 Montreal Canadiens NHL 63 16 34 50 90 14 0 5 5 4
1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 74 18 28 46 106 — — — — —
1994–95 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 31 6 11 17 10 — — — — —
1994–95 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 12 4 4 8 8 16 7 11 18 10
1995–96 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 69 13 35 48 102 10 1 2 3 8
1996–97 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 64 9 18 27 60 6 0 2 2 2
NHL totals 1,196 473 865 1,338 1,336 169 66 109 175 256

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Savard started coaching the Blackhawks in December 1997. On November 27, 2006, he became the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks. He took over after Trent Yawney was let go during the season.

Savard was praised for guiding a young Blackhawks team. In his second season as coach, they finished very close to making the playoffs. The team won 40 games in 2007–08. This was the first time the club had reached 40 wins in six years.

On October 16, 2008, Savard was replaced as coach. This happened just four games into the new season. Joel Quenneville, who had been a scout for the Blackhawks, took over. As a coach, Savard had a record of 65 wins, 66 losses, and 16 overtime losses in 147 games. Savard continues to be an ambassador for the Blackhawks. He received Stanley Cup rings in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

Coaching Record

Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L OTL Pts Division rank Result
Chicago Blackhawks 2006–07 61 24 30 7 55 5th in Central Missed playoffs
Chicago Blackhawks 2007–08 82 40 34 8 88 3rd in Central Missed playoffs
Chicago Blackhawks 2008–09 4 1 2 1 3 2nd in Central Fired
NHL totals 147 65 66 16 –

Personal Life

Denis Savard has a cousin named Jean Savard. Jean also played for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1970s. Denis also shared the same jersey number (#18) as Serge Savard. Serge is not related to Denis. In the 1990s, Serge was the general manager of the Canadiens when he traded for Denis.

See also

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