The Washington Capitals eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after winning Game Five 4-1 at Capital One Arena. Alex Ovechkin, Jakob Chychrun, Tom Wilson, and Brandon Duhaime all scored in the Caps victory while Emil Heineman tallied the only goal for the Habs.
Not only did the victory mark the end for the 2024-25 Canadiens, but also the career of defenseman David Savard, who announced publicly on April 18 he would retire at the end of the Habs’ playoff run.
“Around Christmastime I kind of knew what my body felt like,” Savard said per NHL.com. “My body’s just kind of failing a little bit. By that time, just thinking about going through another summer, another season, you just don’t see yourself doing it. So I was just going to enjoy it and play as hard as I can.”
Savard told Canadiens players and team management midway through the season, but only made his decision public after the Canadiens made the playoffs during the final game of the regular season.
“I think I just wanted to be able to enjoy it as much as possible knowing it’s your last year instead of just waiting until the end of the year to see how you feel and everything.”
Savard, 34, scored 242 points (54g, 188a) up in 870 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Habs. He lifted the Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning in 2021 after they defeated Montreal in the championship series in five games. The rugged rearguard from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec then signed his final NHL contract, a four-year deal, with his hometown Canadiens as an unrestricted free agent the next offseason.
Known as Papa Savvy, the 14-year veteran could be seen tearing up as Habs players congratulated him on a great career post-game. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle once described Savard as the “team dad.”
The tributes continued when Savard went through the handshake line and received embraces and well wishes from Capitals players and coaches.
Alex Ovechkin, who had many battles with Savard when he was a member of the Blue Jackets, gave the veteran blueliner a big hug.
“Yeah, obviously, a tough player to play against,” Ovechkin said. “He’s big, he’s strong and obviously sacrifice his body every shift, and I just tell him, ‘maybe one more year?’ You never know. He had a great career, won the Stanley Cup with Tampa. He was a great player.”
Before taking questions during his post-game press conference, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery praised Savard, originally a fourth round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft.
“David Savard, the career he’s had, that guy has been a warrior in this league for a long, long time,” Carbery said with respect. “And it’s an impressive career. That guy lays it on the line starting his career. I remember in Columbus, winning the Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay. So it was an honor to compete against David Savard, man. That guy ate so many shots and flank one-timers from Ovi. I don’t even know how many. And pretty impressive.”
The loving reception Savard got from the Capitals was not lost on his teammates, including Canadiens centerman Jake Evans.
“He plays such an honest game,” Evans said. “I think it obviously gets around the league what a good teammate he is. People respect when players go to those dirty areas, they block shots and they’re hard to play against. You see a guy like Ovi give him a hug afterwards and talk with him. I think that says a lot ‘cause Ovi’s obviously such a great player. He respects such a great defenseman. He was a great teammate again and was a hard guy to go against.”
Canadiens players admitted Savard’s pending retirement was difficult to swallow, especially with how short the Habs’ playoff run was.
“I mean, his fingerprints are all over everyone in the room,” Nick Suzuki said. “Personally, he’s been someone I’ve looked up to and gone to for help. He’s just a first-class guy, and I wish we could extend the season a bit longer, his career a bit longer, but he’s been one of the best guys for this room and for everyone in here.”
“He’s guy who put his heart and soul out there for us,” Evans added. “Blocks shots, kills penalties. Doesn’t get a lot of credit out there, but does a lot of great things and has done it for so many years. You obviously wish you had a better ending for him. Everyone in here’s gonna remember him for being such a great teammate and such a true pro.”
