DICK SAVARD

In honor of the late Dick “Biggin” Savard we founded our hockey team and named it after an esteemed member. For generations the Savards lived in Nunavut Territory in the Canadian Arctic. However, his mother would no longer have Nunavut so the family moved across Hudson Bay.

Big Dick grew to be long and lean stretching out to 190 cm. Born and raised in Nunalik off the Hudson Strait in northern Quebec, he was the middle of two brothers that called him Biggin. As a youth, Dick enjoyed the outdoors and especially ice hockey.

He participated with the elders in weekend pond hockey and was then known as Nunalik Dick. But that would soon change as he started school in nearby Nuvulik where all the girls and most of the jealous boys lauded his prowess and he was called Nuvulik Dick owing to consecutive undefeated hockey seasons where Dick could not be licked.

Through hockey, Big Dick traveled and spent a summer in Orono, Maine. Unfortunately illiterate and not able to spell Dick worked odd jobs and regularly competed with the University of Maine hockey team in practices and earned the title of Maine Dick from the Black Bears players and coaching staff. Later Big Dick played parts of two seasons in the CHL with the Quebec Voyageurs.

In the CHL, Dick was always shadowed by Harry Balls and Max Siemen. His older brother was there for his first when he scored and spent time briefly in the box. Later relegated to the checking line, Dick would often slowly perk up and usually was followed by the uncontrollable Siemen and the lethargic Balls. The rookie highlight was when Dick got through the defense with Siemen finishing in the hole between the legs in Val d’Or as he finished that year and became a veteran.

Although Big Dick was all speed, many commented that he was too quick, with his big stick. He tried but mostly fired blanks. He was often frustrated by the blocker. The big stick from Nunavut. Even though memorably lauded for “Dick’s Tip In” that clinched first place in the season finale, he blew his shot as a Voyeur. Beaten and soar, Big Dick eventually settled in Bangor where he had more ex-wives than the amount of times he had scored in the juniors.

Several years passed before Big Dick was again strapped with protective gear and started making appearances at the local rink. Childless and old, Big Dick died in Anna in north Texas. Ten thousand attended to send Big Dick Savard to a final resting in Nunavut.

Many years have now passed since the gamedays when hundreds of fans would clamor to the rink with excitement hoping to see the mythical Big Dick Savard. Our hockey club presently honors the Biggin. Donning the jerseys, we play hockey not for money or fans but rather We Play For Dick.