Savard hungry to win
Cink gives Bruins center incentive to succeed
A scratch golfer, Boston Bruins center Marc Savard became close friends with PGA Tour fixture Stewart Cink when the two were neighbors in the Atlanta suburbs.
During the summer, Cink, 36, broke through for his first major title at the 2009 British Open. Savard took notice and shot his friend a congratulatory text message. Then the reply came back.
"'I don't know what you guys are doing this Saturday night, but I'm drinking from the Claret Jug,'" Savard vividly recalled to ESPNBoston.com, "And he had a picture of himself."
The sweet taste of victory can be elusive, as Savard and Cink have learned throughout the years. But it can be even more difficult to capture if one isn't 100 percent aimed toward it. That's a lesson Savard has embraced the past couple of years he has played for the Bruins.
Savard has been one of the most prolific point scorers and assist men in the NHL the past five years. His reputation as a proficient playmaker and fancy passer preceded his arrival in Boston in 2006, and he proved it accurate with a 96-point display in the first year of his four-year, $20 million contract.
That season, however, ended as the previous eight in Savard's NHL career had: with golf instead of playoff hockey filling his spring hours. He decided something had to change.
As the Bruins open the 2009-10 season among a handful of contenders to win the Stanley Cup, no player is more vital to the Bruins' offense than Savard. He followed up that near-100-point first Bruins season with 78 and 88 points the next two years, with Boston qualifying for the postseason in each. The slight dip in points was accompanied by an increase in his plus/minus -- from minus-19 in '06-07 to plus-3 in '07-08 to an outstanding plus-25 last season. This past season, Savard even became a fixture on coach Claude Julien's penalty kill and was a go-to guy for crucial faceoffs.
Savard admits his devotion to becoming a two-way force, which started in Atlanta under former Thrashers coach Bob Hartley, went on hiatus his first season in Boston. Then along came Julien.
"I think with Claude, he wants me to be in these situations, and he told me that, and I had to earn his trust. That's all you've got to do," Savard said. "I think I've earned his trust, and I've got to continue to do that."
Savard says his early years were all about putting up points because he was trying to make a name for himself and stick in the NHL. The points, though, weren't as satisfying when the season didn't end with a postseason berth. New Bruins defenseman Derek Morris got to know Savard when the two were teammates in Calgary. Throughout the years, Morris caught glimpses of the "new Savard" while watching him play from afar.
"The backchecking was amazing," said Morris, who noted that Savard's pleas impacted his decision to sign with the Bruins this offseason. "I noticed it. Before, he used to make a play and if he didn't make it, he'd take a loop around and [wait] until he could make another play. Now he hits on the brakes. … He has that passion to win. He takes things personally now, where before maybe he brushed them off."
It's hard to shake a reputation. And even if Morris has recognized the change in Savard, Team Canada did not when it decided not to invite the center to its Olympic orientation camp. If Team Canada wants to reconsider, none other than Bruins vice president Cam Neely, a Hall of Fame player who took everything personally and showed it with his all-out play, would vouch for the 5-foot-10, 191-pound pivot.
"It's been a learning process for Marc," Neely said. "I credit the coaching staff for helping him understand that. He's obviously a very gifted player, and for Marc, it's become not just about his points, it's become about how to win as a team. He's certainly an integral part of our hockey club.
"He's counted on to do a lot of offensive things for our team. But beside from that, he's been counted on to play a role defensively. We've seen him do that the last couple years, he's killing penalties and is far more responsible, and I think he's taken pride in that."
We'll find out during the next couple of months whether winning is easier or harder without Savard's close friend Phil Kessel, who was traded to Toronto on Sept. 19 after a holdout as a restricted free agent. Savard had taken Kessel under his wing ever since the speedster showed up in Boston as a teenage rookie. Like everyone else in the Bruins organization, Savard believes there are plenty of ways to make up for the departed star, who might take as long as Savard did to learn that points and money aren't as satisfying as victories.
"I think that's another example of what I talked about, you want to make a name for yourself, and he kind of did that," Savard said. "And then he chose to go in another direction. I don't know the whole story behind it, I'm not the general manager, but at the end of the day, he made that decision and he's going to have to live with it."
Now 32, Savard has some decisions coming up. He's in the last year of his contract, and the summer of 2010 could be his last chance to cash in with another rich multiyear deal. He has said since arriving at camp that he wants to stay in Boston. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli has no rules about negotiating in-season, but there are other factors involved. With Patrice Bergeron fully healthy, David Krejci on the cusp of stardom and Zach Hamill close to being NHL-ready, the Bruins could be overstocked at center. Then there's the matter of the raises that next summer's restricted free agents -- Milan Lucic, Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart -- will be due, plus the extension that captain Zdeno Chara should receive before he enters his final year of his deal in 2010-11. A hometown discount from Savard could go a long way toward staying in Boston.
Of course, nothing would make Savard more appealing to other teams looking to throw money around than a Stanley Cup win. And there isn't anything that would make the Bruins want to retain him more than his becoming a championship icon in Boston.
Savard's single-mindedness when it comes to winning has become as much a part of his repertoire as his eagle-eyed vision on the ice and creativity with the puck. And if he lacks for that last ounce of inspiration this season, he can just take a peek back at that text from his buddy Cink.
"He's a great person and he's worked hard, and he's an example of [hard work paying off]. He pushes me to want to do the same," Savard said. "You see a picture of him holding the Claret Jug, you get those chills and you want to do it in your sport. It helps for sure."
Matt Kalman is the Bruins blogger for ESPNBoston.com and runs TheBruinsBlog.net.
