Washington Capitals pay respect to David Savard postgame
Photo credit: Jasper's rink
The Washington Capitals grabbed their ticket to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5 at Capital One Arena.
Goals from Alex Ovechkin, Jakob Chychrun, Tom WIlson and Brandon Duhaime sealed the win while rookie Emil Heineman scored the only goal for the Canadiens.
Beyond the scoreboard, the night carried emotional weight as it marked the final NHL game for David Savard who announced on April 18 that he would retire at the conclusion of Montreal's 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.»
David Savard who is now 34 ends a 14-season NHL career with 870 games played and 242 points.
He was known for his selfless, rugged play and leadership and David Savard won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021 before signing a four-year deal with his hometown Canadiens that same summer.
After the final buzzer, David Savard was visibly emotional and all his teammates embraced him and Capitals players gave him a heartfelt send-off in the handshake line.
«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.»
Back in the Canadiens' locker room, the loss and David Savard's departure hit hard on the Montreal Canadiens team.
«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.»
| POLL | ||
MAI 1 | 64 ANSWERS Washington Capitals pay respect to David Savard postgame Do you think the Washington Capitals can win their next series against the Carolina Hurricanes? | ||
| Yes | 55 | 85.9 % |
| No | 9 | 14.1 % |
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