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Serge Savard would like hockey to be played four-on-four
Credit: Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

I may be too young to have seen Serge Savard play, but I don’t live under a rock; I know how excellent he’s been both on the ice and in the management offices.

But for years now, he hasn’t had his tongue in his pocket, and let’s just say that what comes out of his mouth isn’t very positive. He’s had plenty to say about Marc Bergevin, the Habs organization and the Quebec draft.

Today, he was interviewed by Jean-Charles Lajoie, and he didn’t shy away from expressing his thoughts on today’s NHL.

In his opinion, the style of play has become too tight and there’s a lack of space on the ice. Connor McDavid is the only player in the NHL who can free himself without a problem.

You don’t see a Guy Lafleur coming down the right wing at high speed and hitting a slapshot anymore. – Serge Savard

It’s true that the game has become tight, especially in the playoffs, but that’s the beauty of the sport. Honestly, hockey is a tough sport and it should stay that way. It’s up to the players to stand out.

But for Savard, hockey should be played four-on-four. It would be even more exciting. I don’t think the idea is crazy, far from it, but I don’t see how the league could implement such a rule. Still on the subject of rink space, he says that management lacked vision when building their amphitheatre. In his opinion, the ice should have been built to Olympic size.

If the former GM’s idea were to pass the board, the ice couldn’t be made any bigger. Benches would have to be removed…

In short, the Canadiens’ national winter sport would be more exciting with more space. Incidentally, Savard is a big fan of three-on-three overtime, precisely because of the freedom the league’s stars have to manoeuvre.


In bursts

– Good news.

– Listen now.

– It’s been a while.

– Two Habs prospects in the top-30.

– Indeed.

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