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Savard never far from heart of Bruins, fans

Posted by Obnoxious Boston Fan  June 3, 2013 06:00 AM

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The good news, Matt Cooke didn't do anything wrong on Saturday night.

Well almost.

Don't believe me?

Just ask Cooke:

“I see his right shoulder and he looks me right in the eyes. I think at the last minute he goes to make a reverse with the puck. I committed to hit him. I don’t drive him through the boards. I make contact. I think it’s a penalty. But I don’t think it’s an ejection or suspension...It looked like he was maybe hurt. But he played a shift after.”

There you have it.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Do no evil.

Thankfully for the prosecution, he won't be serving on the Whitey Bulger jury.

Adam McQuaid was able to walk away. He's not forever demonized by concussions. No harm, no suspension. Sidney Crosby added to the self-delusion of the Penguins by laying the blame for all this mayhem at the feet of the refs in between his silent tears.

"You guys aren't following the script. Get with it."

And forget all those Cindy references. Never again. Crosby's way more Jan: always whining about something.

Saturday, it was "Marchand! Marchand! Marchand!"

For Bruins fans, Marc Savard was the most notable scalp on Cooke's mantle. Cooke all but ended Savard's career with a blind shot to the head in 2010. Savard struggled to come back and remains under contract with the team. But any comeback is far off, if not never.

Savard, however, is there cheering on his teammates via Twitter and has been actively do so all season.

It's been exhausting dealing with the idiocy on social media from this series - at least until Game 2. Today, it's time to offer a glimpse at the positive. Prior to the days of Twitter, athletes like Savard slipped out of the public view, save for the occasional quick interview on TV or in the newspaper.

Now, @MSavvy91 is never far from the hearts of his teammates, Bruins Nation and fans of humanity everywhere. All it takes is a Twitter account and 140 characters or less to wish him well, offer words of enrouagement or let him know he'll be a part (not apart) of this team whether he plays another minute of hockey or not.

Here are 10 gems from Savard's @MSavvy91 feed that you may have missed:

1. He was at it after Boston's 3-0 victory Saturday.

That might work. Smythe continues to perform above everyone's expectations, except perhaps his own. Of course, there's always the concern that a Tweet like this might be the kiss of death, or five goals. Pittsburgh could have easily scored at least two more Saturday but ended up with nothing but pings.


___________


2. Savard is a legit Black and Gold Teamer. While Kobe Bryant was playing coach from the couch during the Lakers' abbreviated postseason run, Savard is doing what hockey players do. Being positive and relentless.

His 35,000-plus followers were treated to this a few hours before the opener against Pittsburgh:

Another good omen.


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3. John Tortorella was a key figure in the Bruins-Rangers series for everyone, it seemed, except his players. They didn't listen to him and he didn't listen to them. His team basically gave up, save for about two periods in Game 4 after Smythe let an easy goal slip though while he sat on the ice. Before that game, Brad (Just Call Me Carl Crawford) Richards, was benched by the currently unemployed Tortorella.

The Rangers won that game, so Torts' execution was delayed a few days.

Like so many others, Savard saw this one coming.


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4. Savard doesn't always get it right. (Who does? Yours truly picked the Patriots over the Giants two Februarys ago, the Patriots over the Ravens this past January and the Celtics in 7 against the Heat last year.) But the difference between one of us saying the Bruins are going to win and one of their players is noticeable.

He called Boston's Game 4 win against the Maple Leafs:

Game 5 against the Maple Leafs, not so much:

He offered this mea culpa before Game 6:

That didn't work either.

So he smartly stayed silent before Game 7.

Bruins deliver the greatest third-period comeback in Game 7 history.

Proof that brevity is the soul of win.


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5. During Game 7 against Toronto, Savard didn't give up on the Bruins. He called for a 4-2 victory during the second period. The score was a bit off, but he never lost faith.

That's a 7G Game 7 victory Tweet, in case you're counting.


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6. Before the Rangers series (Savard picked the Bruins in six games), he offered his analysis of the key matchups.

Right, right and right.


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7. The crystal ball was in full overdrive prior to Game 1 against New York. Savard the Savant called for a low-scoring, one-goal Bruins overtime victory.

Boom. Bruins win 3-2, in overtime.


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8. He's been Tyler Seguin's biggest booster. He called for Seguin (and/or Jagr) to break their goal-scoring schneid early and often.

The Bruins scored five goals that night. None by Seguin or Jagr.

Things didn't work out for Seguin during the third period of Game 3 against the Rangers, either.

Savard's faith and support was rewarded during Boston's 4-3 overtime loss to the Rangers in Game 4.

Seguin scored the third Boston goal in that game.

Persistence, baby.


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9. After the Jarome Iginla deal fell through, Savard joined the chorus of fans and media members calling for the Bruins to trade for Jaomir Jagr.

He got his wish on April 2.

It's hard to quantify Jagr's success with the Bruins, especially if you want to base his impact solely on statistics. Jagr has just five points with the Bruins, is a -2 overall and hasn't scored a goal since April 21.

Has Jagr been a bust? Doubt it. He's a magnet when it comes to drawing double teams and helped to add veteran presence and stability to the lockerroom.

We all know what Bill Belichick thinks of stats.

Plus, having Jagr around allowed us to post this:

And this:

And, let's not forget this:


If he can score a goal in the playoffs, it would almost be a bonus at this point.

Almost.

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10. Savard hasn't addressed his health situation on Twitter since April 9. His presence was clearly missed during the Bruins' struggles late in the regular season, as it was during the playoffs last year.

This post was evoked plenty of emotion back then, as it does now when you read it.

And who better to speak for all of us in response?

@MSavvy91

Missed and gone.

But never forgotten.

And only a Tweet away.

Thanks, Twitter.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

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