Players' Tribune - Marc Savard - Hell and Back (A.K.A. F##K Cooke)

[Flaming Choy]

Article by Marc Savard.

Pretty tough read, really points to the mental side/depression that can result from the aftermath. At least it sounds like he's come to terms and is in a good place now.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/ma...hell-and-back/

[Erick Estrada]

Man that part where he says his eyes were wide open but all he could see was black is chilling stuff.

[Canada 02]

Too bad 'F##K Matt Cooke' was the actual title of the article

[TheScorpion]

Damn, that's a tough read. Savard was truly a great player.

[Aarongavey]

What a great hockey player. What a terrible trade. In the dead puck era we traded a 25 year old forward whose PPG average over a full 82 game season was 57 points a season, who had 3 out of his 4 previous seasons with more than 45 points, for a 2nd round pick, 3 years removed from his draft year who never ever scored in any league up to that point. Sad.

Hard not to think what could have been with Iginla being centered by one of the top 2 left handed offensive centers in hockey from 04 to 09. Trade probably cost the Flames a Stanley Cup and a couple more deep runs.

The article is tough to read, glad that it sounds like he is in a good place now.

[Alberta_Beef]

Great article. I like how he ended such a dark serious article with a funny story

[CaptainCrunch]

Tough to read.

But I kept having flashbacks to the Jerry McQuire scene where the kid is begging someone to tell his dad to quit playing hockey after his xth concussion and nobody is listening.

I can't imagine how frightening it would be to take a hit that leaves you blind, but that just makes me think of the term one too many.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

What a great hockey player. What a terrible trade. In the dead puck era we traded a 25 year old forward whose PPG average over a full 82 game season was 57 points a season, who had 3 out of his 4 previous seasons with more than 45 points, for a 2nd round pick, 3 years removed from his draft year who never ever scored in any league up to that point. Sad.

Hard not to think what could have been with Iginla being centered by one of the top 2 left handed offensive centers in hockey from 04 to 09. Trade probably cost the Flames a Stanley Cup and a couple more deep runs.

The article is tough to read, glad that it sounds like he is in a good place now.

I totally agree and it is why whenever I hear Gilbert's name or see that clown Craig Button on tv my blood boils every time. Those two fools cost the organization big time!

[Huntingwhale]

Great read, and I hope Marc's in a better place. I know he has his issues in Calgary, but for management here to bumble that situation like they did....welcome to playoff-less hockey.

Screw Matt Cooke for the hit. And #### the NHL for not even suspending him. Cooke went on to get suspended 3 (!) more times after that hit. Then you have Colin Campbell in his email talking smack about Savard

“The mania surfaced on the Lucic hit…not a chance that should be out of the game. I’m sorry to Boston, but someone should teach that young man something about keeping his head up. Hitting is a vital aspect to everything our game is about and we may be adjusting it too much if we are not careful…and give in to the masses. ”

Just disgusting overall how that entire situation was handled. I love cheering for the players. I love the teams (most). But I hate the NHL. I would not be sad for 1 single second if the league folded and the teams moved onto another league.

[Reaper]

People always wonder why I get so militant about head injuries and hockey culture treating them as if they were the equivalent of a light bump on the head with an inflatable prop hammer. This is why.

Concussions can cause lifelong damage to a person that can be as life altering as being hit by a car. We try to avoid intentionally hitting people with our cars even when they cross illegally. Why should the punishment for not having your head up mean that someone gets a free shot at ruining your life? At the end of the day you either have the ability to empathize with potential victims and hope that they'd do the same for you or you sociopathically place winning a game of hockey at a higher value than an opponent's ability to live a normal life.

[Erick Estrada]

Colin Campbell represents all that is wrong with NHL management. The sooner the league purges itself of these knuckle draggers the better.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

What a great hockey player. What a terrible trade. In the dead puck era we traded a 25 year old forward whose PPG average over a full 82 game season was 57 points a season, who had 3 out of his 4 previous seasons with more than 45 points, for a 2nd round pick, 3 years removed from his draft year who never ever scored in any league up to that point. Sad.

Hard not to think what could have been with Iginla being centered by one of the top 2 left handed offensive centers in hockey from 04 to 09. Trade probably cost the Flames a Stanley Cup and a couple more deep runs.

The article is tough to read, glad that it sounds like he is in a good place now.

The Savard trade is the worst in Flames history. Even when Gilmour bolted we still had some franchise players left on the team. The Flames were the worst offensive team in the league and we traded one of the best offensive players in the West for a bag of rubles.

I'm very glad Gilbert has never stepped behind an NHL bench ever again.

[Pliddy]

I have to think that statement by Campbell will cost the NHL millions once these lawsuits finally make it to court. There is some justice in that

[Johnny Makarov]

And good on the Bruins to put his name on the cup. He totally deserved it.

[AC]

#### Matt Cooke.

[FlamesAddiction]

Savard was great to watch. He thought the game at such a high level.

The whole Gilbert/Savard debate was probably the single most divisive issue I witnessed on the board. Fans were firmly entrenched on one side or the other and it consumed almost every thread. I recall some people started calling Savard fans; "Branch Savardians" to try and devalue their opinions.

A lot of people were crazy about Gilbert at the time and thought Savard was being treated fairly. People called him fat and made fun of him for supposedly like the Backstreet Boys. They claimed that after he was traded, it would be addition by subtraction. Some even claimed that Gilbert would have a longer coaching career than Savard would a hockey career.

For me, the way Gilbert treated him seemed totally unprofessional and unfair. Playing him on the 4th line and then calling him out in public. I remember Savard getting scratched, then coming back with a 4 point game, and then getting scratched again the next game. Hockey players have a limited number of years to make top dollar and I didn't blame Savard at all for asking for a trade. Gilbert would have ran his career into the ground if he wasn't traded.

[Sainters7]

Powerful stuff, wow. I've still got a Flames, Marc Savard jersey hanging in my closet, I need to rotate that one in more next season.

What I don't get was how if it was known that Savard & Gilbert hated each other to the point where one had to go, why would Button pull the trigger on the Savard trade, only to then fire Gilbert a couple weeks later? It made no sense. Then he drops Martin St. Louis a year later, Button really hated small, talented forwards apparently. He'd probably have traded Gaudreau for futures by now if he was still running the show.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

Powerful stuff, wow. I've still got a Flames, Marc Savard jersey hanging in my closet, I need to rotate that one in more next season.

What I don't get was how if it was known that Savard & Gilbert hated each other to the point where one had to go, why would Button pull the trigger on the Savard trade, only to then fire Gilbert a couple weeks later? It made no sense. Then he drops Martin St. Louis a year later, Button really hated small, talented forwards apparently. He'd probably have traded Gaudreau for futures by now if he was still running the show.

I think Gilbert was becoming unglued with the team struggling and Savard was a lightning rod. Button was trying to give his coach the benefit of the doubt by moving the player but as things played out it is fairly obvious that he should have fired Gilbert before moving productive roster players as the team was not responding to the coach. These things happen when you have an inexperienced GM and an inexperienced head coach.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

Powerful stuff, wow. I've still got a Flames, Marc Savard jersey hanging in my closet, I need to rotate that one in more next season.

What I don't get was how if it was known that Savard & Gilbert hated each other to the point where one had to go, why would Button pull the trigger on the Savard trade, only to then fire Gilbert a couple weeks later? It made no sense. Then he drops Martin St. Louis a year later, Button really hated small, talented forwards apparently. He'd probably have traded Gaudreau for futures by now if he was still running the show.

Just my gut feeling, but I think firing Gilbert was an ownership decision. They saw the damage he did. I also think Button didn't realize that the players supported Savard as much as they did.

Has Button ever explained his rationale? I know a little while ago, he admitted that he handled it wrong, but I would have loved to have known exactly how the decisions were made.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Has Button ever explained his rationale? I know a little while ago, he admitted that he handled it wrong, but I would have loved to have known exactly how the decisions were made.

Trading Iggy's center was bad enough, I would love to hear from Button what he saw in Zaynullin and his whole 10pts in parts of three previous seasons in the russian league.

I also wonder if Button would ever admit his handling/trade of Savard likely blackballed him from another NHL job.