The oldest franchise in the NHL doesn’t operate within the same rules as other teams; they have unwritten rules to contend with. First, the Montreal Canadiens’ head coach must speak French. Second, the Canadiens should do their best to draft French Canadians. Because most Quebecers are French-speaking, the organization is supposed to follow these two rules as if they were dogma.
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However, a professional sports team’s ultimate goal is to win championships. The Canadiens might have won 24 Stanley Cups, but it’s been over thirty years since they added one to their account in 1993.
The 1980 Mistake: Snubbing Denis Savard
On Sept. 13, 1976, years before the 1980 NHL Draft, general manager Sam Pollock, concluded a deal with the Colorado Rockies. The Canadiens sent three players to Colorado, John Van Boxmeer, Ron Andruff, and Sean Shanahan for their first-round draft pick in 1980 and cash. They also included the possibility of swapping first-round picks, but they would have been crazy to do it since the first-round pick Colorado had surrendered became the draft’s first overall pick.
By then, Irving Grundman was at the helm. Three players were the most coveted in that draft: Doug Wickenheiser (Women’s National Team’s great Hayley Wickenheiser’s cousin), Dave Babych, and Denis Savard. After deliberations, the Canadiens picked Doug Wickenheiser because they feared Savard’s small stature would hinder his success.
Wickenheiser went on to be an incredible defenseman for the Canadiens. At the same time, Savard played 10 years with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to Montreal for a future Hall of Fame defenseman. Who was that defenseman? Chris Chelios, who played for 20 years and won two more Stanley Cups after leaving Montreal.
Savard (Serge) believes if the Canadiens had drafted Savard (Denis) over Wickenheiser, he never would have been appointed as the Canadiens’ general manager. A proud nationalist (while also being a federalist), the newly appointed Savard (Serge) wasted no time telling team president Ronald Corey how he felt about having locals on his roster:
[Translated from the original French] From the start of my meetings with Ronald Corey, I told him it was essential for the Canadiens to have a maximum of players who lived in Quebec, explains Serge. Reaching that objective soon became one of my priorities. It’s not only about the language. But a guy who spends the Summer in Montreal…
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