Part 2: Does Marc Savard Deserve to Have His Name on the Stanley Cup? No Way

Yesterday, we examined the reasons why Marc Savard’s name should be on the Stanley Cup. Today, we will make a case as to why Savard’s name should not be engraved as part of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

1. Savard did not contribute anything to this year’s team:  He missed the beginning of the season with the after-effects of a concussion suffered at the hands of Matt Cooke late in the 2010 season, then, when he did return on December 2, he played just 25 games. During that time, he managed just 2 goals and 8 assists while amassing a plus-minus of minus-7. He also looked like a shell of the player he once was before a season-ending concussion on January 22.
2. Where was he? Maybe the organization told him to stay away, or maybe it was the doctors, but the fact remains Savard was nowhere to be found during the Stanley Cup run this spring.
3. Savard is not a team guy: Why was the team able to make the jump from contender to champion? Some point to the theory (key word being theory – not stating this as fact) that Savard took away from the team concept and made the focus on him. Without his ego in the locker room, guys like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci were able to relax and focus on making the team better, while Claude Julien did not have to worry about ice time for Savard.
4. What about the other guys? We know the Bruins petitioned to have Savard and Steven Kampfer added to the Cup engraving, but what about other guys who had effective, but brief, stays with the team? Jordan Caron played 23 games and was probably more effective than Savard (3-4-7, plus-3), and Matt Hunwick played well in his 22 games (1-2-3, plus-4).

After two days of pro and con, what do you, the Bruins’ fans, think? Post your comments if you feel strongly either way. Tomorrow, I will post what I think should happen.

 Vistit FanSided’s NHL site, Too Many Men on the Site

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