Black History Month | Magical years and tragic moments for Reginald Savage
When looking back at Reginald Savage’s track record, you have nothing but admiration for his career.
He dominated Quebec’s Midget AAA Hockey League (now the U18 AAA Hockey League) by racking up 64 and 139 points in two seasons with the Riverains du Richelieu.
He pursued on his hot streak with the Victoriaville Tigres, with whom he dominated from 1987-1990 before seeing the team eventually retire his jersey a few years later. The forward was a first-round pick (15th overall by the Washington Capitals), he played in the NHL, AHL and over in Europe, in some of the most beautiful cities Switzerland and Italy have to offer.
“I’ve visited beautiful places in Europe that have helped me now that my hockey career is over”, mentioned Savage. “I increased my general knowledge and discovered very beautiful parts of those countries on the old continent.”
When talking about his time with the Victoriaville Tigers, the 51-year-old turns into a boy in a candy store, his eyes lighting up as he looks back at some of his fondest memories. The right winger was nothing short of a dominant player with the club, racking up 122, 113 and 94-point campaigns.
“It was my first time leaving home and it was with the Tigres that I became an adult”, he admits. “The team had just arrived in the Bois-Francs area after a move from Longueuil and it was up to us to define the identity of this team. I had Gilbert Perreault and Guy Chouinard as coaches there, two men that helped me enormously.”
During his time in the QMJHL, Savage became the focal point of his opponents’ game plan and the opposition followed him all over the ice. His great offensive flair meant that the slightest lapse of concentration by the other team could lead to a huge play. Even fans tried to distract him at times.
“I had bananas thrown at me in Chicoutimi and I heard comments that weren’t very nice”, states the right winger. “Those kinds of attacks motivated me to get better, they gave me another reason to perform on the ice.”
Fortunately, the former athlete had thick skin and did not take the insults personally.
“I could not control what people were saying to me and their words did not affect my game,” he says.
According to Savage, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to fight racism.
“There will be a big step taken when black coaches or general managers get hired”, mentioned the Montreal native. “Right now, sport is governed by white people. People in positions of authority need to trust black people, and that will help change mentalities.”
Today, Savage works in the security department for the Marriott hotel chain, in the Los Angeles area. Although he retired from professional hockey back in 2005, he still cares about the well-being of the game he loves so much.