Habs icon Serge Savard says he feels let down by the team

Serge Savard, who won eight Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens as a defenceman and another two as general manager of the team, has told a reporter he feels estranged from the club he spent so much time with. An an interview with The Montreal Gazette, Savard expressed disappointment in the way he's been treated by the team in the last few years after serving on the panel that recommended Montreal hire current GM Marc Bergevin.

"I was part of the panel that hired him for Christ's sake, and he never called me to say — ‘What do you think of this situation?' ” Savard said. “I was the manager for 12 years and I won a couple of Stanley Cups. I thought that I could maybe help them, to advise them on a few things. I don't think I'd hurt them. But they never used that channel. A few years back, they didn't want anyone close to the dressing room. We had to go through the press room to get to the old-timers room. They didn't want us in the hall. They certainly forgot their past."

Savard also claimed current owner Geoff Molson offered him a job with the organization, saying he'd get back to him on it but never did.

"I never asked for a job,” Savard said. “He asked me to help them find a new general manager and we met Bergevin in New York that day and we had dinner that night. At the dinner he said — ‘I'd like to hire you.' He didn't tell me in which position. He said he wanted to hire me as soon as possible and make it public. Never heard from him after that (about the proposal) … I talked to him after that, but he forgot about what he'd told me. I don't think they want the (old) players around. Probably Bergevin didn't want me around. I didn't hire him, but I can tell you if I was against him, he would never have got that job."

Savard was fired as GM of the Canadiens back in 1995 when the team was owned by Molson Breweries. However, he stayed in close contact with the family and maintained a good relationship with them. The Montreal Gazette contacted the Canadiens to ask about Savard's comments.

“Geoff considers Serge a friend and has enormous respect for him," said senior vice-president of public affairs and communications Paul Wilson via text message. "He will always be grateful for the help and guidance he provided in his search for a new GM.”

Source: Montreal Gazette

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