News Article: Andre Savard interview

[SlyIslands]

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I remember at the time on hockey boards, many fans wanted Savard fired because he wasn't doing The Big Trade. Gainey did trade for Kovalev as one of his first move but I tought at the time and still think that Savard was a better GM then Gainey.

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[DAChampion]

Savard seems ok in hindsight.

 

[Whitesnake]

A really interesting, but in french, article about what André Savard thought of his years as GM. Clearly, you can see that he just hated the way it ended and still don't feel he's appreciated as he should be. Don't have time to translate, so somebody feel free to do it if you have time to.....Let just say that the most important thing in there are:

•He feels that he's the one who put the Habs on the right track, on-ice and off the ice.
•Was working as a QMJHL scout for Pittsburgh but selling those players to them was a hard job. Wanted Pittsburgh to draft Mantha but they thought he lacked character.
•Was tougher back in the days as the UFA age was at 31, and they got Gilmour because it was a choice between Habs and Sens and he made Therrien promise Gilmour that he'd be playing as a centerman
•Savard had to compensate with old vets as the Ryan, Buturlin, Chouinard and Co weren't able to make the NHL
•Could have traded Theo and others for Thrashers first pick but decided not to...that was the year when we won against Boston and Theo won his Hart and Vezina
•During the Gainey era, kids lacked support and maturity wasn't there, especially for a guy like Higgins.
•Biggest deception for Savard? Perezhogin, who was dominant in the AHL level but was not the same guy after his suspension
•Komisarek? Couldn't handle the after-hooking era.

My personal opinion? I keep saying how he was totally underrated and I believe would have been a better GM in the long run than Gainey. But that's something we will never know. Can't believe Gauthier and Gainey are working for teams and not him.....It keeps solidifying my opinion of it's not what you know but who you know....

 

[SlyIslands]

It seems I posted the article while you were doing a grat job summarizing it. Sorry for that.

Anyway I agree on all points with you.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Well some of us remember and give him credit.

Thank you for Timmins, Plekanec and for inheriting the crappiest organization of all time and turning it around.

 

[Masao]

I remember Andre Savard complaining that he got the Senators out of trouble, and then he got fired before the fruits of his labor became apparent, or something to that effect. Looks like he's saying the same thing with the Canadiens.

 

[BLONG7]

I remember Andre Savard complaining that he got the Senators out of trouble, and then he got fired before the fruits of his labor became apparent, or something to that effect. Looks like he's saying the same thing with the Canadiens.

Sour grapes X 2 ?? Seems odd....
I certainly think he did get us back on track, but Gillette's buying the team is what really helped that...he is like every GM, some good moves, and some not so much...strange he is not working as a GM in the league...the old boys club stuff still exists I guess.

 

[CupInSIX]

Why is this man not back with Timmins where he belongs?

He kind of **** on Pittsburgh though

 

[deandebean]

He did inherit a bad situation, but it couldn't get worse anyways. He did some good (vets, Bulis, Zednik, Audette).

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think he should be a GM somewhere. I'd have had no problem if he was hired back here. And he deserves huge credit for hiring Timmins.

That being said, he's burning bridges by saying what he's saying publicly. It does come off as sour grapes.

 

[Andy]

Savard sounds a little bit like a bitter man. Also it's funny to hear him talk about the Theo to Atlanta thing. I thought it was well established that the Thrashers "laughed in his face" when he tried to acquire the pick with Theo as the core of the deal. Interesting that it says that he "resisted" the option of trading Theodore, as though it was AS that decided to put the nix on the deal.

 

[SlyIslands]

Savard sounds a little bit like a bitter man. Also it's funny to hear him talk about the Theo to Atlanta thing. I thought it was well established that the Thrashers "laughed in his face" when he tried to acquire the pick with Theo as the core of the deal. Interesting that it says that he "resisted" the option of trading Theodore, as though it was AS that decided to put the nix on the deal.

No he offered Garon, Atlanta wanted Theodore

 

[Scintillating10]

http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/08574ae1-e82d-4181-9d20-659fca4afe7c|_0.html

Google translate :
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I remember at the time on hockey boards, many fans wanted Savard fired because he wasn't doing The Big Trade. Gainey did trade for Kovalev as one of his first move but I tought at the time and still think that Savard was a better GM then Gainey.

He was quite a step up from Houle I remember. His '01 draft was suppose to be legendary. With Komisarek the physical d-man, Perezhogin highly rated and Plekanec a late round steal. Made some good pickups to get team deep in '02 playoffs. Bill Lindsay, Audette, etc... Theodore had a great year under him. Markov matured under him. He did some things for organization.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He was quite a step up from Houle I remember. His '01 draft was suppose to be legendary. With Komisarek the physical d-man, Perezhogin highly rated and Plekanec a late round steal. Made some good pickups to get team deep in '02 playoffs. Bill Lindsay, Audette, etc... Theodore had a great year under him. Markov matured under him. He did some things for organization.

More than anything, Carbo killed Perezhogin.

 

[JAVO16]

A really interesting, but in french, article about what André Savard thought of his years as GM. Clearly, you can see that he just hated the way it ended and still don't feel he's appreciated as he should be. Don't have time to translate, so somebody feel free to do it if you have time to.....Let just say that the most important thing in there are:

•He feels that he's the one who put the Habs on the right track, on-ice and off the ice.
•Was working as a QMJHL scout for Pittsburgh but selling those players to them was a hard job. Wanted Pittsburgh to draft Mantha but they thought he lacked character.
•Was tougher back in the days as the UFA age was at 31, and they got Gilmour because it was a choice between Habs and Sens and he made Therrien promise Gilmour that he'd be playing as a centerman
•Savard had to compensate with old vets as the Ryan, Buturlin, Chouinard and Co weren't able to make the NHL
•Could have traded Theo and others for Thrashers first pick but decided not to...that was the year when we won against Boston and Theo won his Hart and Vezina
•During the Gainey era, kids lacked support and maturity wasn't there, especially for a guy like Higgins.
•Biggest deception for Savard? Perezhogin, who was dominant in the AHL level but was not the same guy after his suspension
•Komisarek? Couldn't handle the after-hooking era.

My personal opinion? I keep saying how he was totally underrated and I believe would have been a better GM in the long run than Gainey. But that's something we will never know. Can't believe Gauthier and Gainey are working for teams and not him.....It keeps solidifying my opinion of it's not what you know but who you know....

It's like that to a degree or another in most industries.

Also, Komisarek had his best years after the lock out.

 

[Bob b smith]

André Savard was a breath of fresh air after the Houle era. He was tasked with an incredible franchise salvage operation. I agree that the club started to reverse course when ASavard came on the scene.

 

[Bob b smith]

He did inherit a bad situation, but it couldn't get worse anyways. He did some good (vets, Bulis, Zednik, Audette).

I agree it couldn't get worse. On the other hand some clubs persist in being incompetent much longer than they should. Case in point: Leafs and Oilers.

 

[HCH]

A really interesting, but in french, article about what André Savard thought of his years as GM. Clearly, you can see that he just hated the way it ended and still don't feel he's appreciated as he should be. Don't have time to translate, so somebody feel free to do it if you have time to.....Let just say that the most important thing in there are:

•He feels that he's the one who put the Habs on the right track, on-ice and off the ice.
•Was working as a QMJHL scout for Pittsburgh but selling those players to them was a hard job. Wanted Pittsburgh to draft Mantha but they thought he lacked character.
•Was tougher back in the days as the UFA age was at 31, and they got Gilmour because it was a choice between Habs and Sens and he made Therrien promise Gilmour that he'd be playing as a centerman
•Savard had to compensate with old vets as the Ryan, Buturlin, Chouinard and Co weren't able to make the NHL
•Could have traded Theo and others for Thrashers first pick but decided not to...that was the year when we won against Boston and Theo won his Hart and Vezina
•During the Gainey era, kids lacked support and maturity wasn't there, especially for a guy like Higgins.
•Biggest deception for Savard? Perezhogin, who was dominant in the AHL level but was not the same guy after his suspension
•Komisarek? Couldn't handle the after-hooking era.

My personal opinion? I keep saying how he was totally underrated and I believe would have been a better GM in the long run than Gainey. But that's something we will never know. Can't believe Gauthier and Gainey are working for teams and not him.....It keeps solidifying my opinion of it's not what you know but who you know....

I thought Andre Savard did a good job even though he wasn't give much work with in the way of organizational support or talent. Much better GM than Gainey. He had a vision while Gainey was simply living off his one success with Dallas.

I agree with your opinion.

In some ways, Bergevin reminds me of Savard. He has a vision and seems to learn from mistakes. He will still make them but has a clear understanding of what he wants to do. Bergevin's weakness seems to be a bit of nepotism but, on the other hand, why wouldn't he go with who he knows best.

 

[Habsfan18]

I remember the hype for Kovalchuk leading up to the 2001 draft and the rumors of Montreal trying to acquire the pick. It would have been a huge pickup for the Habs but at that time Theodore was considered one of the best in the world. And could you imagine trading the local, reigning Hart trophy winner? The fans and media would have wanted to riot.

Kovalchuk was special and I would have jumped for joy had we had the chance to draft him, but I understand why we didn't want to trade Theo. Hell, I believe Markov was also in the package but Savard was offering Garon instead of Theo.

I believe we had offered:

Garon
Markov
7th overall
25th overall

 

[Price My Man Crush]

All I can say is: he clearly didn't have enough time.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Also, Komisarek had his best years after the lock out.

I agree. He was great until he got hurt.

 

[Agnostic]

I remember the hype for Kovalchuk leading up to the 2001 draft and the rumors of Montreal trying to acquire the pick. It would have been a huge pickup for the Habs but at that time Theodore was considered one of the best in the world. And could you imagine trading the local, reigning Hart trophy winner? The fans and media would have wanted to riot.

Kovalchuk was special and I would have jumped for joy had we had the chance to draft him, but I understand why we didn't want to trade Theo. Hell, I believe Markov was also in the package but Savard was offering Garon instead of Theo.

I believe we had offered:

Garon
Markov
7th overall
25th overall

I think the speculation was Zednik, Markov, Theodore, and picks. Thrashers wanted Garon.

The true blunder that year was Montreal stringing together meaningless wins down the stretch and losing their position to take Mikko Koivu. Those wins were stupid and costly. And yes, there are legitimate ways of tanking when you are a 70 point team.

This seems a bit revisionist, I thought Andre Savard had been a reluctant GM, he preferred scouting and coaching to being the boss.

 

[OnTheRun]

All I can say is: he clearly didn't have enough time.

Well it goes both way, he wasn't around long enough to make major mistake.

He's biggest achievement was to rebuild our scouting system, said system was in ruin after the massive cut during the Houle era.

 

[Scintillating10]

Team was coming along nicely until '06. Before '06, we had 2 suprise upsets in playoffs. Kovalev trade was a steal, drafted Price, Souray had a cannon for shot. I thought we would have beat Carolina that year if not for stick to Koivu's eye. They went to Finals, easily could have been us. We dominated early in the series after Koivu was lost we were never the same. Then they bought in Gauthier, Gainey's daughter was killed around same time. He was like a different man after that. It all started going downhill after '06 playoffs. Signing Samansov was disaster, trade for Tanguay didn't workout. Failed to get Sundin. Gomez trade was disaster. It was one mistake after another.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

He definitely was the one that started getting the ship turned after the horrible Houle years. He laid some of the foundations ( Timmins being the prime piece) that led to a return to respectability for the organization. In most case those guys never get to stay long enough to see the fruits of their efforts so to speak, which is a bit of a shame yet pretty inevitable in the end. You have to start winning some games again before a true ''winning attitude'' and professionalism gets back to a team. Those things take years to come to fruition, if ever. He does sound a bit bitter though, It looks like he still feels to this day that he could have done a lot more, which is debatable but fair enough I guess.
I always felt his record as a pro scout was a mixed bag for what it's worth, he got a reputation for pushing for a lot of local picks ( Although the actual numbers show Timmins picked/signed a lot more local guys than him) and finding hidden European gems which I always felt was a bit overrated. In the end he's in my ''more good than bad'' GM list.