Denis Savard (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #58)
Adjusted Stats
1980-1981 Chi 78 GP 23 goals 39 assists 61 points 0.79 PPG
1981-1982 Chi 82 GP 25 goals 68 assists 93 points 1.14 PPG
1982-1983 Chi 80 GP 29 goals 70 assists 99 points 1.23 PPG
1983-1984 Chi 77 GP 30 goals 46 assists 75 points 0.98 PPG
1984-1985 Chi 81 GP 31 goals 54 assists 85 points 1.05 PPG
1985-1986 Chi 82 GP 37 goals 55 assists 92 points 1.12 PPG
1986-1987 Chi 72 GP 34 goals 43 assists 77 points 1.08 PPG
1987-1988 Chi 82 GP 37 goals 74 assists 111 points 1.36 PPG
1988-1989 Chi 59 GP 19 goals 50 assists 69 points 1.16 PPG
1989-1990 Chi 62 GP 23 goals 45 assists 68 points 1.11 PPG
1990-1991 Mtl 72 GP 26 goals 28 assists 54 points 0.75 PPG
1991-1992 Mtl 79 GP 25 goals 38 assists 63 points 0.80 PPG
1992-1993 Mtl* 62 GP 13 goals 28 assists 41 points 0.67 PPG
1993-1994 TB 72 GP 17 goals 26 assists 43 points 0.59 PPG
1994-1995 TB/Chi 73 GP 18 goals 26 assists 44 points 0.60 PPG
1995-1996 Chi 69 GP 13 goals 34 assists 47 points 0.68 PPG
1996-1997 Chi 64 GP 9 goals 19 assists 28 points 0.45 PPG
Adjusted Playoff Stats
1980-1981 Chi 3 GP 0 goals 0 assists 0 points 0.00 PPG
1981-1982 Chi 15 GP 9 goals 5 assists 14 points 0.94 PPG
1982-1983 Chi 13 GP 6 goals 7 assists 13 points 1.02 PPG
1983-1984 Chi 5 GP 1 goal 3 assists 4 points 0.71 PPG
1984-1985 Chi 15 GP 7 goals 15 assists 22 points 1.45 PPG
1985-1986 Chi 3 GP 3 goals 1 assist 4 points 1.44 PPG
1986-1987 Chi 4 GP 1 goal 0 assists 1 point 0.22 PPG
1987-1988 Chi 5 GP 3 goals 2 assists 5 points 1.05 PPG
1988-1989 Chi 16 GP 7 goals 9 assists 16 points 1.02 PPG
1989-1990 Chi 20 GP 6 goals 13 assists 19 points 0.93 PPG
1990-1991 Mtl 13 GP 2 goals 9 assists 11 points 0.85 PPG
1991-1992 Mtl 11 GP 3 goals 8 assists 10 points 0.95 PPG
1992-1993 Mtl* 14 GP 0 goals 4 assists 4 points 0.29 PPG
1994-1995 Chi 16 GP 6 goals 10 assists 16 points 0.99 PPG
1995-1996 Chi 10 GP 1 goal 2 assists 3 points 0.29 PPG
1996-1997 Chi 6 GP 0 goals 2 assists 2 points 0.35 PPG
Career - 1246 GP, 409 goals, 743 assists, 1150 points, 0.92 PPG
Career-Highs - 37 goals (87-88); 74 assists (87-88); 111 points (87-88); 1.36 PPG (87-88)
Avg. (17 seasons) - 73 GP, 24 goals, 44 assists, 68 points, 0.92 PPG
Peak Avg. (81-89) - 77 GP, 30 goals, 58 assists, 88 points, 1.14 PPG, 0 Cups
Playoff Career - 169 GP, 55 goals, 90 assists, 144 points, 0.85 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 9 goals (81-82); 15 assists (84-85); 22 points (84-85); 1.45 PPG (84-85)
Accolades - None
All-Star Teams - 1-time 2nd-team
1-time Stanley Cup Champion
Denis Savard is the best of the "Oh yeah, that guy" group of 80s centers. These were star players whose legacy has faded because they played in the shadow of Gretzky and Lemieux and, unlike Yzerman, were finished by the time the late 90s rolled around and there was room on the stage for a new star. Savard, like other Oh Yeah, That Guys like Peter Stastny, Dale Hawerchuk and Bernie Nicholls, pops up quite high on the all-time points list and PPG list (a product of playing in the 1980s), but his legacy is muted because, during his peak playing years, he was amassing points for a fairly mediocre team. When you're trying to test yourself by coming up with the top scorers of all-time, these are the guys you forget.
Why does Savard rank a good chunk higher than Stastny and Hawerchuk? For one thing, unlike those two players, Savard finally did get a Stanley Cup ring to his name, as part of one of the most mediocre Stanley Cup champions ever, the 1992-1993 Canadiens (mediocre save for of course Patrick Roy). Savard was not a key contributor to the team, more of a second or third-line center who chipped in 40-50 points. But he's still a champion, and that can't be taken away from him.
Savard also earns points for a signature move that he is often associated with: the Savardian spinorama. Although he probably only accomplished it successfully four or five times throughout his career, Savard still lives on highlight reels or TSN Top 10 lists whenever they are showing a list of beautiful goals or great spin-moves. The irony is that the phrase "Savardian spinorama" actually refers to Serge Savard, not Denis. It was Serge who popularized the move, but while he used it to move the puck out of his zone and up ice, Denis often used it in the offensive zone, resulting in an amazing goal.
Savard's peak during the 1980s coincided with Stastny's and Hawerchuk's: season after season of 80-90 adjusted points (which were 100+ in actual scoring), and limited team success. At least Savard did have one transcendent season, 1987-1988, in which he had 37 goals and 111 adjusted points but still couldn't crack one of the two all-star spots because of Gretzky and Lemieux (doesn't a consolation third all-star center spot have to be retroactively awarded for all of the centers who toiled during this era? I suppose the fact that their career totals are inflated by the high scoring 80s is consolation enough).
He seemed to hit a wall earlier than most stars, with sub-50 point seasons in his last five years even though he was only in his early thirties. No matter, we'll remember Savard for his Blackhawk days, when he averaged almost 90 adjusted points throughout the 1980s. Come postseason, Savard was even more impressive, averaging more than a point a game...I referred to the Blackhawks as "mediocre" before, but that was something of a mislead, since they did make the Conference finals three times during Savard's run. In 1984-1985, Savard had an astounding 22 adjusted points in 15 playoff games en route to the Conference finals (it was one of seven times that Savard would have 10+ adjusted points in the playoffs). But of course, the Blackhawks fell to the Oilers, who were in the middle of their dynasty. Even in the postseason, Savard was overshadowed by the Great One.
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