Former Montreal Canadiens general manager Serge Savard believes that the added value of drafting a Quebec player into the Habs is not recognized and he regrets that the feeling of belonging no longer exists.
In an interview on QUB radiothe former number 18 mentioned that the native players of the Belle Province within the current formation of Martin St-Louis were not developed by the organization.
“Jonathan Drouin was acquired in the transaction with Mikhail Sergachev, and David Savard comes from the free agent market,” he said at the microphone of Benoît Dutrizac this followingnoon. Note that the auxiliary goalkeeper, Samuel Montembeault, had been claimed on waivers in 2021.
Appointed as general manager of the Glorieux in 1983, Savard won the Stanley Cup three years later at the hands of the Calgary Flames in 1986. “Nine players from this roster had been drafted by the organization,” he said. clarified, adding that the Canadiens had four full-time scouts in Quebec at that time.
According to him, the National Hockey League looked, and still looks, at the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as a league inferior to other Canadian circuits.
“Claude Lemieux and Stéphane Richer were drafted in the second round. If these guys had played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, I’m sure they would have been selected in the first round. It is this advantage that we currently lack.
“I have been deploring this situation for a long time”
According to Savard, his boss at the time, Ronald Corey, was also sensitive to this reality.
“When I left, the staff was removed. At one time, there was only one part-time scout in Quebec. I have deplored this situation for a long time.”
When the team wins, the fans will cheer regardless of whether there are French-speaking players or not, thinks the former star defender of the Bettman circuit. However, he believes that the situation will be different if the team finishes last.
“I told the former general manager, Marc Bergevin, that the people of Quebec will allow him to win in English, but not to lose in English. This message was for him to take a good look at local talent. He didn’t listen to me, that’s obvious. You shouldn’t have Quebecers for fun, but when there are good ones, you shouldn’t let them pass.
