What’s in a name? Well, if you’re the Detroit Red Wings’ No. 114 pick, Red Savage, a lot.
It was right before Christmas in 2002, when Debbie Savage was pregnant with her second child. She asked the nurse doing her ultrasound to put the gender of the baby on a card and in an envelope that the Savages put on the top of their Christmas tree — high enough that Debbie wasn’t tempted to peek.
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On Christmas Day, the family opened the card to reveal they were having another boy to join their first, Ryan, who was 3.
Debbie and her husband, former NHLer Brian Savage, asked Ryan what they should name his eventual new brother.
“He didn’t hesitate at all,” said Debbie. “He said, ‘I want to name him Big Red!’ And we thought, ‘Oh, that’s adorable, cute.’”
Like many toddlers, Ryan loved the animated TV show featuring Emily Elizabeth and Clifford the Big Red Dog. But months went by and Ryan — which also happens to be Debbie’s maiden name — was persistent, still calling the baby growing in his mother’s tummy, “Big Red” and often asking: “When’s Big Red coming?”
Big Red finally arrived on May 15, 2003, and the name stuck, sort of, at least. After looking through a baby name book, they found an entry for “Redmond” which fit with both Debbie and Brian’s Irish heritage.
Hardly anyone ever calls him Redmond, though. With family, he’s still Red or Rouge — the French word for red.
And like many of us with interesting or unique names, Red Savage loves it. There are, however, times when it can prove troublesome — like ordering from Starbucks, a pain felt by many to be sure.
“They’ll put Ted or other random names,” said Savage. “I’ll have to spell it out for them sometimes and say, ‘it’s Red, like the colour.’”
Savage, who played for the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U18 squad and finished with 18 goals and 42 points in 46 games, was ranked No. 54 in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s North American final rankings. But scouts are all over the place on him — many of them either see the upside or they don’t.
“He’s a hardworking, versatile player,” said one NHL scout who had multiple viewings. “He finishes his checks hard and does a lot of the little things well. He can contribute with the puck but is most likely a bottom-six forward in pro. I thought he was one of (U.S. NTDP’s) more consistent players over the course of the year.”
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The ranking doesn’t matter much to Savage. His father, Brian, was drafted in the eighth round — No. 171 —by the Montreal Canadiens in 1991. Brian Savage had quit hockey for two years to focus on landing a golf scholarship before going back to the sport and being picked as a 20-year-old.
“I tell Red it’s not where you get drafted,” said Brian Savage. “It’s what you do after and what you continue doing — what he has been doing — which is making the right choices, the professionalism, and I think if he continues the way he’s been going, he has a chance.”
Despite the late draft, Brian ended up playing close to 700 games in the NHL over 12 seasons with the Canadiens, Blues, Coyotes and Flyers. In Brian’s career-best season he had 23 goals and 60 points in 81 games for the Habs in 1996-97. So the younger Savage has seen firsthand that the draft, for most, is nothing more than a foot in the door and an opportunity to show where hard work and perseverance can take you.
“He made it over everyone else the Canadiens picked in the rounds ahead of him,” said Red Savage “It’s all about the work ethic … he’s ultra-focused on what he loves to do and it’s definitely rubbed off on me and my brothers. I like to think it’s what’s fuelled my work ethic and my compete.
“It’s all the little things in the work and preparation that go into each day and each season. It’s the stuff you need to work on when no one else wants to. He’s always been there to help us and push us because it definitely wasn’t easy for him to play (in the NHL) for as long as he did.”
Left to right: Brian, Rory, Red and Ryan Savage. (Courtesy of the Savage family)When Dan Muse took over the U.S. NTDP’s U18 squad, he had no idea what he was getting. He had been an assistant coach with the NHL’s Nashville Predators for three seasons, before taking the head coaching job with USA Hockey.
He was hired a few days before players showed up in Plymouth, Mich. He didn’t know the players and hadn’t seen much video. He saw an opportunity in taking over the team without any preconceived notions or biases.
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“I came in blind and I kept it that way,” said Muse. “I knew we would have a lot of practice time and I actually told everyone not to tell me anything because I knew I was fortunate enough to have the time to form my own opinion.”
Everyone was coming in with a clean slate.
So, what was his first impression of Savage?
“He was extremely detailed with a great work ethic,” said Muse. “A high, high compete level. He plays a mature game and it was very clear to me right away. He continued to show that over the course of the year. He’s a guy who really takes pride in the way he plays on both ends of the ice. He’s a natural competitor. When the puck drops he’s a guy who’s all-in. That was clear right away, and with competitors like that, they don’t know anything else — they can’t turn it on or turn it off. For Red, it’s an everyday thing and it was evident from Day 1.”
The knock on the 5-foot-11, 180-pound centre, is his work offensively and what some scouts consider a limited ceiling. Savage said he interviewed online with roughly 15-20 NHL teams before the draft and he was asked by a few teams about the offensive part of his game.
“It’s something I have focused on because it’s something I want to improve,” said Savage. “I’ve talked to quite a few people and it’s what they say I need to work on the most. So, yeah, I think it’s an honest critique and something that I’ve critiqued myself about quite a bit and it’s something I’m always working on.”
With the U18 team, Savage was a jack-of-all-trades as a dominant two-way player — strong on faceoffs, an exceptional penalty killer with an impressive defensive game. Savage was a versatile, consistent and valued member of the team, playing at both centre and wing.
He was a player who Muse said earned the trust of his teammates and coaching staff early on, so much so the 18-year-old was named captain of Team USA’s U18 squad for the world championships.
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“He’s a guy where I think the more you watch him, the more you appreciate him,” said Muse. “Consistency equals trust. You gain trust in your coach, you gain trust in your teammates. When you show time and time again, that you’re going to go out there and do your job to the very best of your ability, it’s hard not to gain trust and it’s something Red did over the course of the year.”
“He’s a high-compete, high-character player. I wouldn’t bet against that kid, that’s for sure.”
The Americans were bounced in the quarterfinals by Sweden, and Savage finished the tournament with one goal in five games. His overall play last season earned him an invite to Team USA’s world junior summer showcase in Plymouth, Mich., which opened on July 24.
“It was obviously not the ending we wanted,” said Savage of the U18 experience. “I wish I had done a bit more during the tournament but it’s in the past now and I’m just looking forward to trying to make this world juniors team and hopefully get another crack to put the jersey on and to try to represent my country again.”
It does make it a bit awkward considering the majority of Savage’s family are Canadians. Going back to visit Sudbury, Ont., where both his parents grew up, has made Savage’s partisan pitch tough — especially considering Brian won silver with the Canadian Olympic team in 1994.
“I had to convince them to root for the USA for once,” said Red, with a laugh. “I’m a dual citizen, so I do have Canada in my blood, it’s something I hold close to my heart, but it’s special to play for Team USA and all my family back home in Sudbury were really supportive of me — they cheered for me when they had to.”
Next season Red is committed to play at Miami University in Ohio, where Brian played his college hockey, and where older brother Ryan, 21, is currently a winger.
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“Miami was the turning point of my career,” said Brian. “Hopefully it’s there for them, too.”
Given their age difference, it will be the first time the brothers are able to play organized hockey together and something they’re both eager to finally experience.
“He was always a lot bigger and stronger than me, so I’m really excited to play with him for the first time,” Red said. “Hopefully we can have a ton of fun next year.”
Red, left, Ryan, centre, and Rory, right. (Courtesy of the Savage family)Debbie Savage first met Brian in Grade 6 when both were in school together in Sudbury. When Brian was playing peewee hockey, it was the local grocery store — Ryan’s IGA — owned by Debbie’s family, that sponsored him.
“The big joke at our wedding was my dad said it was the best $150 he ever spent,” said Debbie, with a laugh.
Their first two children came while Brian was still playing in the NHL. Ryan was born in Montreal, Red in Arizona and their youngest, Rory, 13, came after Brian had retired from pro hockey in 2006. While Brian was still dealing with the rigours of life on an NHL schedule, it was Debbie who enrolled the boys in sports and did the all heavy lifting at home.
“She was the first one to put me on skates,” Red said. “She was the first one to be there for me in those early years of skating and using a stick and puck.”
According to Red, she was also the “judge, jury and executioner” when it came to dealing with her trio of boys. Referee was part of the job too, especially considering how competitive they all are. That competition was fostered at home and no matter what the sport or game, the Savages were always trying to one-up each other. Brian believes it’s in their DNA, going back generations which includes his uncles, former NHLers Floyd, Wayne and Larry Hillman, who won a combined five Stanley Cups.
Debbie Savage with son Red. (Courtesy of the Savage family)Their competitive nature came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was together at home. No matter what they played, it was heated.
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“Yahtzee, Sevens there was some throwing cards at each other for sure,” said Brian. “The pandemic brought us together as a family (in a way) that we hadn’t had in a few years. We were all together for that length of time so we definitely had a lot of competitions — in sports, in cards, Monopoly, whatever board games we could play. It was a lot of fun.”
For Red growing up, his target was Ryan, and it was with his older brother he learned to hone his skills, take his lumps and bide his time.
“He wasn’t winning much when we were younger,” said Ryan. “I never took my foot off the gas and I was three years older, bigger and tougher. He had to adjust to losing and not getting mad or down on himself — just resetting and trying to win the next one, so I think it came down to his being calm and collected. He’s very mature for his age.
“When I look at other kids his age it’s kinda weird because he acts like he’s 10 years older. He’s definitely not your average teenager.”
This year, given the pandemic, the protocols, quarantines, and shortened season, it has been difficult for everyone. For draft-eligibles, the experience they’ve dreamed about as kids has now been reduced to the quality of their computer cameras. For Red Savage, it’s only put things into greater perspective.
“Hockey is something I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said. “You really have to learn that it’s only secondary, because your family comes first. Things can change in the blink of an eye with people getting sick and there are people I know who have lost a lot of loved ones. It’s really put hockey in perspective.
“Whatever happens in hockey, it’s always going to be secondary to family and friends.”
(Top photo: Rena Laverty/USA Hockey NTDP)
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