Former Boston Bruins star Marc Savard has a new gig with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On Sunday, Toronto announced that it had hired Savard to its coaching staff as an assistant under head coach Craig Berube. According to The Athletic, Savard will run the Leafs’ power play unit. Savard started his coaching career under Berube with the St. Louis Blues during the 2019-20 season.
Savard had previously worked in a similar role with the Calgary Flames last season. Before that, Savard was the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires. The Spitfires went 88-35-8-5 under Savard, including a trip to the OHL Finals in 2022.
Savard played 807 games as a center in his NHL career, starting out as a fourth-round pick by the Rangers in the 1995 NFL Draft. Savard rose to stardom when he landed with the Bruins in 2006, going on to be named to back-to-back All-Star teams with the Bruins.
After signing a long-term contract with Boston, Savard’s playing career suffered mightily due to injuries. On March 7, 2010, Savard suffered a major concussion after a controversial hit to the head by Penguins player Matt Cooke. Savard described the two months after the hit as suffering in “total darkness” and “total silence.”
As a result of the long-term effects of the hit, Savard would never again play in an NHL game. He formally announced his retirement in 2018.
