Oct. 11, 1980 Denis Savard scores his first NHL goal vs. Denis Herron of the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. Travel back to 1980 and see the first of 473 regular season goals (and an additional 66 in playoffs) in the NHL for Denis Savard.
View additional footage and the shift that led up to Denis Savard’s first NHL goal here.
John Scott sits down to chat with Denis at the Chicago Blackhawks Convention this past July to chat about the Golden Days of the NHL.
In a wide-ranging conversation, the two chat about Denis's career, his fighting experience and what it was like to celebrate a win when he played for the Chicago Blackhawks.
John Scott currently has a book out, called "A Guy Like Me."
Denis Savard, Jamal Mayers and other Chicago Blackhawk prospects hold a ball hockey clinic during the 2018 NHL Draft weekend in Chicago!
An undersized center with dazzling moves sparked the Blackhawks revival in 1980s. Denis Savard scored better than a point-per-game for his career. Watch this video created by the National Hockey League that showcases Savard’s incredible career.
Denis Savard suited up and took the ice with the Blackhawks for the national anthem prior to Sunday’s tilt with the Montreal Canadiens. Take a look at the video below:
Denis Savard is one of the most celebrated hockey players to lace up the skates. In 1980 he was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks 3rd overall and tallied 75 points in his rookie season. He quickly rose to the top of the NHL as a superstar with the Blackhawks. After 10 seasons in Chicago he was traded to his hometown Montreal Canadiens where he won a Stanley Cup in 1993.
Known for the “Spin-o-rama,” Denis became one of the most popular and electrifying players to watch in the National Hockey League. At the end of his storied career, Savard played in 1,196 NHL games and amassed 473 goals and 865 assists, totaling 1338 points. Denis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 13, 2000.
In the video below, Denis talks about his storied career and what is most important to him.
In the edition of the “Blood, Sweat and Cheers” series created by ChicagoBlackhawks.com, “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky talks about his many, many matchups against Denis Savard and the Blackhawks.
Denis Savard and I are seeing more of each other now than when we played, which is natural. In the National Hockey League, you see each other on game nights, and you never really socialize. You’re cordial if you talk at all, and there’s a respect factor. But you don’t really hang out until you’re done, which we both are now. I’ve had the same kind of relationship with Mario Lemieux since we retired.
Denis has been good enough to come to my fantasy camp the last few years. It’s every February in Las Vegas for five days, and it’s part of my charity foundation. A bunch of former players come out and we have a ball. We’ve even had Mike Keenan out there to coach. Just to make us feel at home, he throws a tantrum every once in a while.
To read the full article by Wayne Gretzky please click here.
“Watching Patrick Kane in action is one of the biggest thrills you can have watching hockey. There are plays he makes, even playing the game as long as I did and watching as many games as I have, that make me say, “How did he do that one?” He’s just fun to watch, simple as that. I absolutely enjoy going to games and watching him play; 20,000 fans at the United Center would agree with me.
People often say that Patrick and I play the game the same way, and that’s true, but in some ways I think playing today is a little harder. It’s not that in our day we weren’t good players, but today the guys on the ice are so much faster, stronger and bigger. Patrick is the same size I was in my playing days, but he still makes it look easy at times, even with a stiffer level of competition.”
–Denis Savard
Read the full article at chicagoblackhawks.com.
Interested in booking Denis Savard for an appearance or a speaking engagement?
Please contact the Denis Savard Management Team if you are interested.
NHL.com recently posted an article by John Kreiser, that listed the most exciting NHL players of all time, and Hall of Famer Denis Savard was on the list. Below is the write up on Denis:
Denis Savard (1980-81 – 1996-97)
The NHL doesn’t allow do-overs in the draft. If it did, the Montreal Canadiens unquestionably would have wanted one in 1980.
The Canadiens had the first pick in the 1980 draft and picked Doug Wickenheiser, a big, powerful center from Regina. They passed over a speedy little center from Gatineau, Que., named Denis Savard, who went to Chicago with the third pick.
Wickenheiser went on to a serviceable NHL career — 111 goals and 276 points in 556 regular-season games. Savard had exceeded those scoring marks by the end of his fourth NHL season, by which time he already was one of the most exciting players in hockey history.
Savard may or may not have invented the spin-o-rama, a 360-degree spin and deke that usually left defensemen flat-footed, but he became the player most identified with it. The “Savardian Spin-o-rama” was part of an offensive arsenal that helped him pile up five 100-point seasons in his first eight seasons in Chicago that left baffled defensemen and frustrated goaltenders in his wake.
Ironically, Savard became a Canadien 10 years after being drafted — the Habs acquired him in a deal that sent Chicago native Chris Chelios to the Blackhawks — but his magic didn’t make the trip. Savard never again scored 30 goals or averaged a point a game. He made it back to Chicago in 1995 and finished his career with the Blackhawks, retiring with 473 goals, 1,338 points — and thousands of video clips of some of the most spectacular moves in NHL history.
Here is a short highlight video when he was introduced into the Hockey Hall of Fame:
To view the rest of the article and the other NHL all stars that topped the list, please click here.