The Goal of My Life (30 page)

• Played six games in the Summit Series, collecting two points.

• Nicknamed “The Big M.”

• Won Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, 1957–58, edging out Bobby Hull.

• Played in 1,181
NHL
games between 1956–57 and 1973–74 (533 goals, 570 assists, 1,103 points) with Toronto, Detroit, and Montreal.

• Played in 237
WHA
games between 1974–75 and 1977–78 (89 goals, 143 assists, 232 points), all with Toronto/Birmingham.

• Won four Stanley Cups with Toronto Maple Leafs (1962–64, 1967) and two more with Montreal (1971, 1973).

• Played in 15 All-Star games (1959–65, 1967–74).

• Was First Team All-Star at left wing (1960–61, 1962–63, 1972–73).

• Was Second Team All-Star at left wing (1961–62, 1963–64 through 1965–66, 1968–69, 1969–70).

• Also played for Team Canada in 1974 Summit Series.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981.

• Became a member of the Order of Canada, 1994.

• Appointed to the Canadian Senate, 1998.

• Played in seven games in the 1972 Summit Series, scoring a goal and adding an assist.

• The goal was scored in game two at Maple Leaf Gardens. The goal was scored shorthanded and secured the victory for Team Canada.

• Nicknamed “The Little M.”

• Was drafted second overall by Detroit in the 1963 Amateur Draft.

• Played in 884
NHL
games with Detroit, Montreal, and Pittsburgh between 1965–66 and 1980–81 (288 goals, 485 assists, 773 points).

• Played in two All-Star games (1971, 1976).

• Was a member of four Stanley Cup–winning teams with Montreal (1971, 1973, 1976, 1977).

• Coached several minor-pro teams including the Toledo Goaldiggers, Colorado Rangers, Denver Rangers, Forth Worth Fire, and Cape Breton Oilers.

• Scouted for the Edmonton Oilers from 1995–97, then for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

• Is currently a pro scout with the Florida Panthers.

• Did not appear in the 1972 Summit Series.

• Was selected fifth overall by Buffalo in the 1971 Amateur Draft.

• Was named to Team Canada 1972 after appearing in only 73
NHL
games.

• Set a rookie goal-scoring record (since broken) with 44 in 1971–72.

• Combined with Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert to form the feared French Connection for the Buffalo Sabres.

• Played in 685
NHL
games between 1971–72 and 1981–82 (384 goals, 317 assists, 701 points) for the Sabres, including four games with the Los Angeles Kings.

• Suffered knee injury in November 1980 that effectively ended his career.

• Had back-to-back 52-goal seasons, 1973–74 and 1974–75.

• Played in seven All-Star games (1972–78).

• Was First Team All-Star at left wing, 1973–74 and 1974–75.

• Was Second Team All-Star at left wing, 1975–76 and 1976–77.

• Was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

• Played two games in the Summit Series and recorded one assist.

• In 1966–67, became the first player to win three trophies in one season: Hart (
MVP
), Art Ross (scoring champion), and Lady Byng (most gentlemanly player).

• Won all three trophies again in 1967–68.

• Also won Art Ross Trophy in 1963–64 and 1964–65.

• Won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 1960–61.

• Became one of the first players to experiment with a curved blade for his stick.

• Played in 1,394
NHL
games between 1958–59 and 1979–80 (541 goals, 926 assists, 1,467 points), all with Chicago.

• Played in nine All-Star games (1964, 1967–69, 1971–75).

• Led
NHL
in assists, 1964–65 through 1966–67.

• Won the Lester Patrick Trophy for contributions to hockey in the United States, 1976.

• Had the
NHL’S
third-highest career point total, trailing only Gordie Howe and Phil Esposito (is currently fourteenth).

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.

• Was inducted into the Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.

• Currently serves as an ambassador of goodwill for the Chicago Blackhawks.

• A statue of Mikita and former teammate Bobby Hull were unveiled outside the United Centre, the home of the Blackhawks, in 2011.

• Played six games in the Summit Series, scoring four points and compiling an impressive 28 minutes in penalties, most of which came in the first period of game eight.

• Nicknamed “Jeep.”

• Played in 890
NHL
games between 1965–66 and 1978–79, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders (238 goals, 356 assists, 594 points), which also included time with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Cleveland Barons.

• Played in two All-Star games (1970, 1973).

• Was a solid two-way left-winger who set career highs in goals (27) and points (75) in 1972–73.

• Was an assistant coach with Minnesota between 1980–88
(with the exception of 1984, when he was the head coach of the North Star’s minor league affiliate Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the Central Hockey League).

• Became a coach and director of hockey at the Shattuck-Saint Mary’s School (alumni include Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Jack Johnson, and Parise’s son Zach).

• Was named head coach and general manager of the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League for the 2008–09 season, and an assistant the following year.

• Played in all eight games of the Summit Series, compiling a goal and four assists.

• Was selected second overall by New York Rangers in the 1966 Amateur Draft.

• Played in 1,113
NHL
games between 1968–69 and 1984–85 (213 goals, 683 assists, 896 points) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Detroit Red Wings.

• Played in nine All-Star games (1970–78).

• First Team All-Star on defence (1969–70, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1977–78).

• Second Team All-Star on defence (1970–71, 1972–73).

• Was involved in blockbuster trade between New York and Boston in 1975 that sent Park and Jean Ratelle to the Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais.

• Won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship, 1983–84.

• Following his retirement in 1985, he served briefly as the Red Wings head coach in 1986.

• Was iducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, 1988.

• Played two games in the Summit Series, scoring two points.

• Was selected first overall by Buffalo in the 1970 Amateur Draft.

• Combined with Richard Martin and Rene Robert to form the feared French Connection line with the Buffalo Sabres during the 1970s.

• Played in 1,191
NHL
games, all with Buffalo (512 goals, 814 assists, 1,326 points).

• Topped 100 points twice (113 in 1975–76 and 106 in 1979–80).

• Played in six All-Star games (1971, 1972, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984).

• Won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, 1970–71.

• Won the Lady Byng Trophy as the
NHL’S
most gentlemanly player, 1972–73.

• Was second Team All-Star at centre, 1975–76 and 1976–77.

• Also represented Canada in 1976 and 1981 Canada Cups.

• Won two Memorial Cup championships with Montreal Junior Canadiens, 1969 and 1970.

• Was the only player in Buffalo Sabres history to record a seven-point game.

• Was inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 1989.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, 1990.

• Following his retirement, coached in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as invested in real estate.

• Is currently the corporate and community relations liaison for the Buffalo Sabres.

• Played six games in the Summit Series, scoring a goal and adding three assists.

• Played with Vic Hadfield and Rod Gilbert on the New York Rangers’
GAG
(Goal-a-Game) Line.

• Played in 1,281
NHL
games between 1960–61 and 1980–81 (491 goals, 776 assists, 1,267 points) with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins.

• Topped 100 points in 1971–72 (109) and 1975–76 (105).

• Played in five All-Star games (1970–73, 1980).

• Won the Lady Byng Trophy (most gentlemanly player), 1971–72, 1975–76.

• Won the Lester B. Pearson Award as
NHLPA’S
choice as
MVP
, 1971–72.

• Won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship, 1970–71.

• Was Second Team All-Star at centre, 1971–72.

• Was involved in blockbuster trade between New York and Boston in 1975 that sent Ratelle and Brad Park to the Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais.

• Retired as a member of the Boston Bruins in 1981.

• Was assistant coach of the Bruins from 1981–85.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, 1985.

• Played in one game in the 1972 Summit Series (no points).

• Was the first player in Detroit Red Wing history to score 50 goals.

• Was a member of two Stanley Cup–winning teams with the Montreal Canadiens (1968, 1969).

• Played in 538
NHL
games between 1967–68 and 1975–76 (233 goals, 195 assists, 428 points) with the Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings before a back injury forced him to retire.

• Scored 52 goals in 1972–73, 51 in 1973–74.

• Played in the 1974 All-Star Game.

• Was First Team All-Star at right wing, 1972–73.

• Was Second Team All-Star at right wing, 1973–74.

• Since retirement, has had a long-running career as a broadcaster, which currently involves colour commentary for the Detroit Red Wings. He also had a stint on
Hockey Night in Canada
.

• Played in five games in the Summit Series, compiling two assists.

• Played in all four of Team Canada’s wins.

• Nicknamed “The Senator.”

• A hairline fracture limited his playing time in the Summit Series.

• Won eight Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens (1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976–79).

• Played in 1,040
NHL
games between 1966–67 and 1982–83 (106 goals, 333 assists, 439 points) with the Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets.

• Set career highs with 20 goals and 60 points in 1974–75.

• Was the first defenceman to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy, 1968–69.

• Won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship, 1978–79.

• Was Second Team All-Star on defence, 1978–79.

• Was part of Montreal’s Big Three on defence that included Guy Lapointe and Larry Robinson, both of whom are also
Hall of Fame defencemen.

• Was general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, 1983–95, while also managing Montreal’s junior affiliate the Sherbrooke Canadiens, where he helped guide the team to a Calder Cup in 1985.

• Won two more Stanley Cups as Canadiens’ GM, 1986 and 1993.

• Became an officer of the Order of Canada, 1994.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, 1986.

• Was made a knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2004.

• Became a partner in a firm of real estate developers.

• Was part-owner of the
QMJHL’S PEI
Rocket with his son Serge Savard Jr.

• Played in three games in the 1972 Summit Series.

• Also represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1964.

• Played in the 1972 All-Star Game.

• Played in 979
NHL
games between 1962–63 and 1978–79 (62 goals, 269 assists, 331 points).

• Was involved in a seven-player trade between Toronto and New York in February 1964. Seiling, Dick Duff, Bob Nevin, and Arnie Brown went to the Rangers in exchange for Andy Bathgate and Don McKenney.

• Was a steady stay-at-home defenceman

• Since 2006, has been chair of the Ontario Racing Commission.

• Was also president and
CEO
of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.

• Was head coach of Team Canada 1972.

• Was a member of Allan Cup–winning Whitby Dunlops in 1957 and 1959.

• Represented Canada at the 1958 World Championships (Canada won the gold medal) and the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California (silver medal).

• Was named top defenceman in Eastern Professional Hockey League, 1961–62 (shared award with Jean Gauthier) and 1962–63.

• Was most valuable player in Eastern Professional Hockey League, 1962–63.

• Was head coach of Boston Bruins, 1966–67 to 1969–70 (also brief stints in 1979–80 and 1984–85).

• Coached Bruins to Stanley Cup championship in 1970.

• Was general manager of the Bruins, 1972–2000.

• Was president of the Bruins, 1989–2006.

• Continues to serve as a senior adviser to the Bruins’ ownership.

• Is a member of the selection committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

• Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, 1983.