Savard, Serge A.
Hockey
b. Jan. 22, 1946, Montreal, Quebec
The first defenseman to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the outstanding player in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Savard won the award in 1969, when he played brilliantly on defense and scored a goal and an assist in the Montreal Canadiens' four-game final victory over the St. Louis Blues. St. Louis scored only 3 goals in the series, and Savard was a major reason.
Injuries hampered him throughout his career, but Savard managed to play 1,040 regular-season games in 17 NHL years beginning with the 1966-67 season, when he joined the Canadiens.
After winning the Smythe Trophy, he suffered a badly broken leg during the 1969-70 season. A bone graft was required to repair the fracture and he missed much of the 1971-72 season after the leg was broken again.
Savard returned to action in February of 1972. Shortly afterward, he kicked in a window to save Coach Scotty Bowman from a fire in the St. Louis hotel where the team was staying, and missed the rest of the season because of a four-inch gash in his right ankle.
In 15 seasons with the Canadiens, Savard played on eight Stanley Cup champions. He was traded to the Winnipeg Jets in 1981 and retired after the 1982-83 season.
Savard became the team's managing director in 1983. The team won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1986 and 1993, while he was in charge. But he was fired shortly after the 1995-96 season began.
