ONE OF THE “BIG THREE” DEFENSEMEN WHO PATROLLED THE MONTREAL BLUE LINE, SERGE SAVARD DAZZLED OPPONENTS WITH HIS PATENTED “SPINORAMA” MOVE.

When Serge Savard joined the Canadiens’ organization, nobody called him “The Senator”. In fact, the 15-year-old needed his parents’ permission just to sign the initial contract that would link him to the team for most of the next 35 years.

The first of the “Big Three” to make the NHL roster, Savard saw spot duty during the 1968-69 season, getting more ice time as the season progressed. That spring, the Stanley Cup was paraded down Ste. Catherine Street for the third time in four years. Savard would be a member of seven other triumphant Habs squads in his 12 years patrolling the blue line.

He came into his own the following season, taking a regular shift from the opening game and establishing himself as one of the NHL’s rising offensive defensemen. Fast, manoeuvrable and a skillful stickhandler, Savard’s dizzying spins to avoid checkers regularly made the highlight reels. Legendary broadcaster Danny Gallivan coined the phrase “Savardian Spin-o-rama” to try to describe move.

The Habs made the playoffs and Savard picked up 10 points in the 14 games it took for the Canadiens to capture the 1969 Stanley Cup. This time, Savard had his own silverware to show off, adding a Conn Smythe Trophy to his collection to become the first defenseman to ever earn playoff MVP honors.

Over the course of his career in Montreal, Savard missed very few games in most seasons. When he did go down, however, it was for extended periods of time. He suffered two leg fractures a mere 11 months apart, costing Savard most of two complete seasons and robbing him of much of his speed.

When he came back to play the final games of the 1971-72 season, Savard adapted his game. No longer the speedy, offensive threat he had once been, Savard became one of the league’s best stay-at-home blue-liners, using smarts, size and an uncanny ability to block shots to compensate for his lost swiftness.

Selected to play for Team Canada in the 1972 Summit Series, Savard played in five games - the lone tie as well as all four Canadian victories – proving himself on the international stage.

The Canadiens piled up the Cups and Savard, learning from the veterans who preceded him, became a respected elder statesman on the team. In 1978-79, he won the Bill Masterton Trophy. The next fall, he succeeded Yvan Cournoyer as team captain, proudly wearing the “C” until his retirement following the 1980-81 season.

Savard’s retirement from hockey was one of the shortest on record. Lured to Winnipeg by long-time teammate and close friend John Ferguson, “The Senator” headed west and spent the next two seasons with the Jets.

In 1983, Savard returned to the fold as the Canadiens general manager. He would spend a dozen years in the GM’s seat, just as long as he did in uniform. Over his tenure as GM, Savard built teams that brought the Stanley Cup to Montreal in both 1986 and 1993.

Serge Savard’s success on the Canadiens blue line was recognized on November 18, 2006, when his famed No. 18 was retired and raised to the rafters.

A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame since 1986, Savard spends much of his time administering his real estate holdings. El Senador, his Cuban hotel, is one of that country’s most popular new tourist facilities.