quietbruinfan
Salt and light
Unfortunately, I remember reading that Chelios peed on a cop in response to being asked to take a sobriety test. That was allegedly the straw that broke the camel's back for Savard.
Denis Savard with Montreal (1990-1993): What happened?
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The Panther
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Crosby2010
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- Mar 4, 2023
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I think it is a variety of factors. For starters, that's 10 years under Savard's belt of being a high octane offensive guy. That's a lot of miles, and he was the go-to guy on the Hawks all of those years. Larmer was there too, but this was Savard's team for sure. And other than a still impressive rookie season, he either had well over 100 points or was on pace to have over 100 points in a full season for 9 straight years after that. Only Gretzky and Stastny scored more points in the 1980s if I recall. There can be a time when a player starts slowing down and burning out. Savard wasn't big, maybe that factored in a bit. He was chippy out there at times and certainly could take a beating. He was no wimp, but it does weigh you down. It did with Bryan Trottier, so it will with Savard too. So there's that.
Also, he was poorly used by Pat Burns. The teams Burns coached were always defense-first. This is part of the criticism I have always had of him because he did tend to wear out his welcome eventually. The Habs won the Cup immediately after he left Montreal and he inherited a player who just came off an 80 point-60 game season. Watch some goals Savard scored as a Hab, he still had that magic. He could still do his classic spinoramas quite well. I just don't think he went to the sort of team that used his talents the best. And combine that with him being older and such and I think you can see the drop in numbers. He did well in the playoffs in 1991 and 1992. By 1993 he was hurt in the postseason but still assisted on an overtime goal. He finally won his Cup, so I guess the trade wasn't all that bad. I've always loved Guy Carbonneau bringing Savard - decked in a suit and a tie because he was hurt - to hoist the Cup first. That was classy. Savard was always pretty good in the postseason, so he was one of those guys you were happy to see win. But yeah, the stubborn system of the Habs at that time was a poor fit for him.
Also, he was poorly used by Pat Burns. The teams Burns coached were always defense-first. This is part of the criticism I have always had of him because he did tend to wear out his welcome eventually. The Habs won the Cup immediately after he left Montreal and he inherited a player who just came off an 80 point-60 game season. Watch some goals Savard scored as a Hab, he still had that magic. He could still do his classic spinoramas quite well. I just don't think he went to the sort of team that used his talents the best. And combine that with him being older and such and I think you can see the drop in numbers. He did well in the playoffs in 1991 and 1992. By 1993 he was hurt in the postseason but still assisted on an overtime goal. He finally won his Cup, so I guess the trade wasn't all that bad. I've always loved Guy Carbonneau bringing Savard - decked in a suit and a tie because he was hurt - to hoist the Cup first. That was classy. Savard was always pretty good in the postseason, so he was one of those guys you were happy to see win. But yeah, the stubborn system of the Habs at that time was a poor fit for him.
AlternateSideParking
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- Dec 11, 2005
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As many have already said, it was probably Pat Burns more than anything. He wanted to push his Sherbrooke guys and “re-tool” the lineup from the Gainey/Savard days. The Habs had one of the better pipelines and there were younger players who cut into Savard’s ice time. IIRC Stephane Lebeau, Mike Keane, and Brent Gilchrist were Burns’ favorites and he also used checkers Carbonneau and Skrudland for everything in the defensive zone. So Savard became a bit of a situational forward instead of the franchise center he was in Chicago.
Another factor IMO was the Adams division shifting to Boston and its smashmouth/lunchpail style in the smaller rink. It used to be that the B’s couldn’t beat the Habs if their lives depended on it. But that all changed in 1988, and the Habs grew tired of finesse-first types because the Bruins pushed them around in the playoffs (Russ Courtnall and Stephane Richer lived in Burns’ dog house).
Still, Savard was a dangerous player as a Hab. Just because the points decreased didn’t mean you could ignore him and get away with it. Shame he was hurt in the 1993 SCF.
Another factor IMO was the Adams division shifting to Boston and its smashmouth/lunchpail style in the smaller rink. It used to be that the B’s couldn’t beat the Habs if their lives depended on it. But that all changed in 1988, and the Habs grew tired of finesse-first types because the Bruins pushed them around in the playoffs (Russ Courtnall and Stephane Richer lived in Burns’ dog house).
Still, Savard was a dangerous player as a Hab. Just because the points decreased didn’t mean you could ignore him and get away with it. Shame he was hurt in the 1993 SCF.
