How the Canadiens Missed Opportunity on Hall of Famer Denis Savard

The Quebec-born Savard's name sat atop NHL draft ranking lists; a consensus to be the next exceptional french player, and the Canadiens misfired.

GM of the Montreal Canadiens held the top pick in the NHL Draft, and rumours swirled around Montreal regarding who they would select. There were a strong crop of prospects to select from, especially a young french player who grew up nearby the Old Forum - which at the time was still there. Denis Savard - who played his junior hockey with the Montreal Juniors, he lit up the QMJHL, recording 146 goals, 309 assists for 455 points in 214 games.

The Canadiens opted for Doug Wickenheiser, with the first overall selection, while hometown boy Denis Savard was selected with the third overall pick, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1980 NHL Draft. Savard would go on to wow fans with his signature «Savardian spin-o-rama» deke, drawing fans out of their seats. He played 1,196 games over 17 seasons for the Blackhawks, Canadiens and Lightning - scoring 473 goals, 865 assists for 1,338 points.

Savard's individual awards included a Hart Trophy finalist nomination. His number 18 would go on to be retired, the jersey raising ceremony took place on November 13, 2000 . The Quebec native would win one Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 1992-93, cementing his name on the all-time list of hockey royalty. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000-01, Savard retired at the end of the 1996-97 campaign with the Blackhawks.


In 2017, Savard received the distinguished honor of being named to the 100 best players in NHL history list.