David Savard is the biggest warrior in the NHL; it’s pretty much confirmed after his heroic penalty kill shift in the matchup against the Buffalo Sabres earlier this week.
The Canadiens had a 2-1 lead with ten minutes to go of the third period as the Sabres got to play with a man advantage. It didn’t take long for Tage Thompson, who rocks one of the hardest slappers in the league, to get a golden opportunity to tie the game.
But his one-timer was stopped by a brave Savard, who stopped the puck with his hand. Savard, in massive pain, stayed on the ice, and just moments later, he blocked another shot, this time with his skate, which even broke by the impact of the shot.
David Savard was praised for his shot-blocking and brave actions, especially as the Canadiens held on to their lead and eventually won the game 3-1. But Savard’s heroic play came at a price. Savard didn’t return to play, and on Wednesday, the Canadiens provided an injury update on the defenseman.
They confirmed that Savard did, in fact, break his hand by blocking Thompson’s first shot in the penalty kill. Despite the injury, which would make anyone probably go and hide, he stayed on the ice and blocked another shot.
The Canadiens have confirmed that Savard will be sidelined with a fractured hand for six to eight weeks. And it’s the ultimate proof of his dedication to the team, and you just have to give him massive respect for it.
Sports analyst Pat McAfee acknowledged Savard’s awesome shift in his show, ’The Pat McAfee Show,’ during the segment ’Hockey is Awesome!’
“David Savard!” McAfee screamed. “Boom! Gets hit right in the hand. He loses his blade! He can’t skate. He gets hit in the leg. This dude ends up breaking his hand, and he’s out for six to eight weeks. Broken hand, bruised calf, all in one play.”
”I’m stopping a goal, no matter what! That’s hockey! Everybody in the sport has that mindset.”
Pat McAfee has recently found a liking to hockey and now has the ’Hockey is Awesome’ segment in all of his shows, and it’s certainly well worth a watch:
