A Five On Nothing Breakaway?

Every once in a while we get treated to a two or three man breakaway. I've even seen a four man breakaway once, maybe twice.

But a five man breakaway?

According to veteran scribe Al Strachan, it happened!

In his 2011 book Over The Line, Strachan tells the story of a Chicago Blackhawks game back in the 1980s. The Hawks were killing off a 5-on-3 power play, with Denis Savard, Doug Wilson and Bob Murray as the only Hawks skaters on the ice. Strachan fails to mention who Chicago's opponent was that night.

Strach went on to tell how even though his team was shorthanded by two men Denis Savard couldn't resist the urge to rag the puck on one of his dazzling rushes. Savard darted all the way into the opponent's zone and behind the net, when his helmet slipped down, covering his eyes. Not wanting to take his hands off his stick Savard jerked his head a couple of times.

The Hawks two defensemen mistakenly took the head nod as the signal to pinch in off of the blue line. Strangely, both dmen charged in looking for a pass that was never going to come.

Instead Savard tried a wraparound, hoping to score or at least to force an offensive zone faceoff. The unnamed goalie made the save, with Doug Wilson crashing into the goalie, jarring the puck loose. Unfortunately for the Hawks, and again this is according to Strachan, Savard and Murray collided and fell to the ice.

The opponent rushed up the ice, unimpeded on a five on nothing rush, although I would assume the defensemen were not really in on the scoring chance. Savard, Murray and Wilson all just scrambled to the bench, hoping a fresh body could do something.

The Hawks goalie, also unnamed, made the save, leading Wilson to quip "We'd done our job. They didn't score."

Denis Savard: Human Highlight Reel

When asked what his goal for the season was, Hartford Whalers defenseman Adam Burt deadpanned "to stay out of the Denis Savard highlight film."

Burt may have said it to be funny, but there was certainly an element of truth to his statement. Savard made many defensemen look silly when he had the puck. Check this out

Denis Savard is one of the most electrifying players in the history of hockey, and almost certainly the most exciting of his era. That is quite a claim considering Savard played in an era that boasted the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. The Great One and Super Mario left crowds wowed and thinking "Did I just see that?!" but they couldn't pull the fans out of their seat quite like Denis Savard.

Savard was one of the quickest players in the league, with tremendous one step acceleration. He was so fun to watch as he'd dart in and out of danger, rapidly change directions, and even perfect the "Savardian Spin-a-rama" in which he'd do a full 360 degree turn while carrying the puck to protect it from checkers. His great skating was complimented nicely by his incredibly soft hands. He could stickhandle through an entire team and was an excellent playmaker. He was also a very good shooter, particularly with his laser-like wrist shot. He was also known for taking bad angle shots. He was a puny player in terms of size but he had a solid center of gravity that made him tough to knock off the puck if you were lucky enough to catch him.

Savard would put all of those qualities together and leave defensemen dizzy and fans amazed! Here is the full Denis Savard profile.

Denis Savard: Human Highlight Film

"Denis Savard can do what Bobby Hull could. He can pull people out of their seats. That's something I could never do" - Stan Mikita.

That's pretty high praise coming from one of the all time greats. Then again, Denis Savard is one of the all time greats, too.

Check out this video of Denis Savard scoring as beautiful of a goal as you will ever see in the National Hockey League. Everyone in the building would be standing by the time the goal horn sounded!


"Savard has charisma," said Hawks GM Bob Pulford, also a Hall of Fame player himself. "It's infectious and it translates to the fans. And in this game we are still in the business of putting people in the stands."

Here's more on the career of one of the most electrifying players in the history of the game: Denis Savard.

Les Trois Denis

Denis Savard, Denis Cyr and Denis Tremblay played on a line together with the Montreal Juniors in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. "Les Trois Denis" played together from youth hockey in Verdun, Quebec. They all lived just down the street from each other and were the best of friends. Even more amazing, all three were born on February 4th, 1961! What a crazy coincidence!

The trio scored 665 points from 1977 through 1979 in the "Q." Tremblay would be traded in 1980, ending the once-in-a-lifetime union. Savard and Cyr would continue to dominate the QMJHL, setting personal records without their friend by their side.

Savard, drafted 3rd overall in 1980, went on to become a Hockey Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup champion. He scored 539 career goals and 1,513 points in 1,365 regular season and playoff games combined. He also won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993.

Cyr was drafted 13th overall also in 1980. He only played 193 games in the NHL, split with Calgary, Chicago and St. Louis. He scored 41 goals and totalled 84 points.

Tremblay was never drafted by the NHL and he never pursued professional hockey. He became a letter carrier for Canada Post.

Hockey's Most Electrifying Player?

I have seen Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Pavel Bure, but the most electrifying player I've ever watched play hockey has to be Denis Savard:


Savard was one of the quickest players in the league, with tremendous one step acceleration. He was so fun to watch as he'd dart in and out of danger, rapidly change directions, and even perfect the "Savardian Spin-a-rama" in which he'd do a full 360 degree turn while carrying the puck to protect it from checkers. His great skating was complimented nicely by his incredibly soft hands. He could stickhandle through an entire team and was an excellent playmaker. He was also a very good shooter, particularly with his laser-like wrist shot. He was also known for taking bad angle shots. He was a puny player in terms of size but he had a solid center of gravity that made him tough to knock off the puck if you were lucky enough to catch him.

Savard would put all of those qualities together and leave defensemen dizzy and fans amazed!

"Denis is one of those players who is not only a great hockey player but a player with charisma," explained Bob Pulford, the long time general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks. "He's got that quality that keeps people coming out see him play."

Here's more on Denis Savard

Savard Out In Chicago

Less than a month ago I wrote about Savard being the man in Chicago.

My article referred more to his legendary status and his contributions to the organization rather than his coaching status. In fact in the article I questioned if he was the right coach to bring the promising young Blackhawks to the next level.

That question was answered emphatically today, replaced by Joel Quenneville. But boy it must have been hard to pull the rug out on someone who for years has so passionately bled Blackhawk red.

Denis Savard The Man In Chicago

Watching him wow audiences as a player back in the 1980s, I never would have figured Denis Savard would become a great coach. I suppose the jury is still out on that assessment, but he does have a lot of passion and fire.

Is he the right coach for the young and rising Hawks? So far, so good, but getting them to the next level is easier said than done.

This much I know for sure: Savard knows the value of allowing a core group of young players grow up together.

Before being arguably the most electrifying National Hockey League player of the 1980s, Savard centered a fabulous line with the QMJHL's Montreal Junior Canadiens. His linemates were Denis Cyr and Denis Tremblay.

With each player having the same first name, the line was naturally dubbed Les Trois Denis. But it turns out the threesome shared more than first names. They all had been born on the exact same day - February 4th, 1961 - and they all grew up within three blocks of each other in Verdun, a suburb of Montreal.

Here's a YouTube clip of a couple of the most amazing goals you'll ever see, scored by none other than the great Denis Savard. This is must see TV.