HockeySavard then and now, plus 30 thoughts

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Marc Savard, seen in action last May, is close to returning to the Boston Bruins lineup after missing the start of the season with post-concussion symptoms. (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)

A few years ago, in preparing for a sit-down interview with Marc Savard, a coach told me, "The amazing thing about him is that he is the most unselfish player on the ice, and the most selfish guy off of it."

Savard knew it, too, painfully admitting that he once asked Calgary teammates why he was so disliked.

That was then. This is now.

As the shifty playmaker gets closer to his NHL return, he says it "feels like a second chance at everything." Anyone reading this knows what it's like to lose (or come close to losing) the things that mean most to you. Very few players get the chance to end their careers on their own terms. Savard faced one of the worst possible scenarios, his beloved job taken away by an injury out of his control.

Last week brought an unexpected first test. No one would have blamed Savard if he'd lashed out at Colin Campbell. (In fact, most people were practically begging for it.)

Instead, he told Boston reporters, "I think the stuff he was saying got interpreted in a bad way ... It had nothing to do with the [Matt] Cooke incident."

Then, he threw full support behind embattled teammate Gregory Campbell, caught up in all of this through no fault of his own, saying, "He is a great teammate, and I look forward to playing with him."

We don't always get a chance to change the way people perceive us. If his career ended with the Cooke hit, Savard knows he wouldn't be remembered fondly. But, his actions over the last week show a changed, happier man.

Savard's come a long way from a devastating draft day, where 90 players were taken before him despite 413 points in his junior career. Savard was so angry, he stormed out of the arena and didn't hear his name called. Upon retirement, he should be remembered for overcoming that and becoming one of the NHL's best passers.

Thanks to his new outlook, that could happen.

30 THOUGHTS

1. It was 1993. I'd just left university and entered the sports media world. He barked at one of my (stupid) questions so badly, I didn't say a thing for three weeks. In 17 years, no one intimidated me more than Pat Burns did that day.

2. Hal Gill, asked if Burns intimidated rookies: "He intimidated everyone." The ex-Bruin added that he admired how Burns changed the forecheck for about two games under orders from Boston management, then scrapped it, saying, "If they're going to fire me, I'm going out my way." Meanwhile, Scott Gomez told a bizarre story about how the Devils started their first season under Burns 3-0, before losing Game 4. After that defeat, Burns stood in front of the team, saying, "Wah, wah, wah," (like a mock cry) for about two minutes, while the players stared dumbfounded. Whatever that was, it worked, as New Jersey won the Cup.

3. When Kirk Muller was cut from the 1991 Canada Cup team, Burns (an assistant) saw him in the team hotel and said, "Let's grab a few beers." Burns happened to have the key to head coach Mike Keenan's suite. Muller wouldn't say what was done to it, but, to this day, isn't sure if Keenan knows who was responsible.

4. Brian Gionta said Burns was angriest when players lost battles. That's similar to a couple of coaches who are trying to revive struggling franchises. Scott Arniel, doing a great early job in Columbus, is, from what I'm told, very much like that. And Craig Ramsay keeps a "battles won" statistic in Atlanta.

5. One referee, on Steven Stamkos: "No one in the NHL plays with a smile on their face like he does." I think that's so important. You can't be great at anything unless you love it.

6. Another thing that's very important - accountability. Everywhere in sports (not just hockey), people are expected to own up to mistakes. I think Gary Bettman's public perception would be much better if, occasionally, he'd admit to one. No one's perfect. I thought of that Saturday night watching Scott Morrison's terrific interview with Colin Campbell. If someone in the NHL said, "You know what, this shouldn't have happened, but, the past three years have proven Colin Campbell's got no bias," (which is my position after conversing with about eight referees) the public reaction would be much different.

7. That said, one executive did tell me, "I wish my boss backed me as much as Bettman backed Campbell."

8. A lot of NHL people think Dean Warren's lawyers put Tyler Dellow up to this. Dellow, a lawyer himself, says it's not true.

9. Another referee: "When Campbell's emails were only about us, no one cared. When it was about a player, suddenly everyone cared."

10. The broadcasting version of Campbell-gate? Howie Rose on Long Island. And the apology. This is among my worst nightmares. I can be pretty cavalier around a microphone. I hope the Islanders, getting hammered everywhere for their poor treatment of Chris Botta, the team's former media relations VP and now an independent blogger, handle this better.

11. Lot of calls for some kind of disciplinary tribunal. Bad idea. There must be one person with final authority. Committees never work.

12. One thing I would like to see: Campbell able to change his mind, depending on injury. For example, he decides not to suspend Sean Avery for the Ladislav Smid sucker punch. Since that announcement, Smid's missed three games with a concussion. Should Campbell be able to go back and give Avery a few games? I think so.

13. Was talking with one referee who said that if the league really wants to make the game safer, all majors should carry an automatic game misconduct. (Except fighting, which is another issue altogether.) Apparently, it's been discussed, but never gained real traction.

14. I don't know if Lou Lamoriello is going to change coaches in New Jersey. If he does, he'll certainly consider Kirk Muller (who may not get permission during the season) and Michel Therrien (who was a finalist for the job). However, he should also look at Bob Hartley. No coach ever got more out of Ilya Kovalchuk, and Kovalchuk cried when Hartley was fired in Atlanta.

15. Jay Bouwmeester's probably going to get fined: "It was a rebound and the guy's going to the net, so I lift his stick and he f---ing falls down and [the referee] calls a f---ing penalty ... It was terrible, in my opinion." (Courtesy Calgary Sun.)  But, I bet the Flames wish he got this angry more often.

16. One player (not a member of either team), on Calgary's 7-2 win over Chicago: "That's the kind of game that can save a season. You get all those bounces and finally believe your luck is changing for the better." Of course, the Flames lost to Detroit last night in OT, but let's see where this goes.

17. The fact Jarome Iginla has six points in two games since being told he won't be asked to waive his no-trade (as reported on Hotstove by Eric Francis) says everything you need to know about how much his legacy in Calgary means to him. I still believe, though, the organization is afraid of being cast as "the villain" in any Iginla deal.

18. Manitoba Moose GM Craig Heisinger said during prospects camp that he really liked Devan Dubnyk's game. We're starting to see why.

19. After watching Edmonton a little more closely, I can see why there was a time last season when Steve Tambellini considered Cam Fowler for the top pick. The team needs a stud or two on the blue-line. Adam Larsson and Ryan Murphy are among the best available this year, but if they want someone more NHL-ready, it may cost them Ales Hemsky. Oilers fans might prefer Dustin Penner, but Hemsky has more value if that's what they want to do.

20. There was a thought Roberto Luongo would be more comfortable against Chicago with Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd banished to the Eastern Conference. They were both great at jamming their sticks below his knees to knock him off balance. Saturday's 7-1 blitzkrieg kills that theory, for now.

21. Yes, it was a bad weekend for the Canucks and sometimes hard to remember it's only two games out of 82. But, if I was concerned about anything, it would be how little impact Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard have had. Yes, Ballard is recovering from injuries, but their transition has been more difficult than expected.

22. Very interesting that Montreal's coaches would break up the successful Tomas Plekanec/Mike Cammalleri combination to get Scott Gomez going. I think they're getting really frustrated with Gomez, who seems to be behind the play a lot.

23. Boy, is Max Pacioretty coming on. Get the sense that if the Canadiens could do it again, they wouldn't rush him to the NHL. He played one season in the USHL, one season at Michigan and half a year in the AHL before getting his shot. Of course, when Jeff Marek relayed that theory to Pacioretty during Sunday's AHL on CBC game, the winger shot it down like a World War I biplane.

24. Think Pacioretty also got a Clockwork Orange-style attitude adjustment from the organization.

25. For all of the craziness surrounding PK Subban, there was an example of his maturity Saturday night. With a 2-0 lead late in the third period, he did one of his spinaramas on a solo rush near centre ice. Instead of continuing forward, though, he pulled up and got it deep. Small thing, but a big thing. Smart play.

26. The Montreal game was the fathers' trip for the Maple Leafs. Didn't realize how much the NHL vets these trips to make sure they are not a salary-cap violation. It sounds ridiculous, but can be considered an illegal perk if things go too far. The NBA is really vigilant about this. When the Raptors used Antonio Davis's wife as a TV reporter to help her career, the league put a stop to it.

27. I'm not around the Maple Leafs on a day-to-day basis, but I've never heard anyone who covers them say they've even considered the impact of Brendan Burke's death in their evaluations of Brian Burke. Strange story.

28. Burke, by the way, had his 1,000th game as GM Saturday night in Montreal. His first interview: an eight-hour summit with Jay Snider in 1990. Flyers hired Russ Farwell instead, telling Burke he was the runner-up. He never heard from them again.

29. There is some belief one of the reasons Scott Gordon was fired because he played Dwayne Roloson over Rick DiPietro. However, Jack Capuano went with Roloson in the first two games he coached, so that doesn't seem correct.

30. Good quote: Flyer Braydon Coburn to the Philly Daily News: "There's no awards for being where we are right now." That team that won't be satisfied with anything less than a Stanley Cup.

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