Warning signs were there for Savard
About to enter the final year of his contract, Denis Savard met with Blackhawks president John McDonough and general manager Dale Tallon during the summer about getting an extension and left the room feeling there could be a potential problem.
"John was very clear," Savard said Thursday after he was fired by Tallon just four games into the season and replaced by Joel Quenneville. "They said we reward winning here and you didn't make the playoffs. I didn't have a problem with that. I agreed 100 percent, and we didn't make the playoffs. I came out of that meeting saying in my mind, 'Let's go get it done then.' "
Savard won't get the chance to show he could get it done with Tallon, senior adviser of hockey operations Scotty Bowman and others deciding he wasn't experienced enough to get the Hawks to the next level and into the playoffs.
Tallon, who was quietly given a one-year contract extension through 2009-10 by chairman Rocky Wirtz despite missing the playoffs, remembered that summer meeting with Savard about a new deal.
"We gave him an extension last year and we're in the performance business," Tallon said. "The discussion was if you have a good year and the team does well, we'll all be well compensated."
Savard took the Hawks to within 3 points of the playoffs last season despite Martin Havlat playing with an injured shoulder, Nikolai Khabibulin underachieving and Jonathan Toews going down for six weeks in January with a knee injury.
"For me, I'd rather look at what I did," said Savard, who described himself as hurt and disappointed to be let go. "I really believe in my ability if you look at what I did with the players I had. I believe the team we had this year was just going to start to play well. I'm not bitter, just disappointed. I thought we were on the right track.
"I worked hard and I felt my players worked hard for me. I put our young kids in a position to succeed. A lot of expectations have been put on the line and they've made a commitment to the fans. They're going for the best coach they feel was available."
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