Major news surfaces regarding ex-Blackhawk Brandon Saad
The Saginaw Spirit hockey team will retire the number of one of their former players, Brandon Saad, in late February.
Saad, who played for the Spirit in his junior career, is now a 2-time Stanley Cup champion now playing with the St. Louis Blues.
The team will retire his number, 22, on February 23rd, 2024, before their game against the North Bay Battalion.
Saad is a franchise icon who exemplifies many of the values the OHL team seeks in a player: he is a highly-skilled forward with a team-first mentality, a great work ethic, and excellent character.
The Spirit will be honoring these qualities by raising Saad's number to the rafters.
Saad was originally drafted 10th overall in the 2008 OHL draft by the Spirit and played 103 games for the team, scoring 131 points with 61 goals and 70 assists during the regular season. He was named captain in his second season, becoming the 12th player in team history to hold this position.
Saad, 31, played two seasons with Saginaw, playing 103 games and registering 61 goals and 131 points in that span.
In the NHL, he is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2013, 2015), and has 238 goals, 476 points through 823 games played with the #Blackhawks, #Jackets, #Avalanche, and #Blues 🇺🇸
Saad joins Vincent Trocheck as the lone retired numbers in Spirit franchise history.
Saad was also an outstanding playoff performer, with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 24 games during his time with the team. He was later selected 43rd overall in the 2011 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks and played for the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL before earning a full-time job in the NHL with the Blackhawks.
During his first NHL season, Saad scored 10 goals and 17 assists in 46 games. He also helped lead the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup victory in 2013, earning one goal and five assists and becoming a finalist for the Calder Trophy. He also earned a spot on the NHL Rookie All-Star team.
The experienced NHL player has participated in 822 regular-season games, scoring a total of 475 points with 237 goals and 238 assists. He has also made it to the playoffs eight times, where he has scored 27 goals and made 28 assists in 103 games.
As Seen On: oursportscentral.com
| POLL | ||
Do you think Brandon Saad should have his number retired? | ||
| Yes | 64 | 36.6 % |
| No | 111 | 63.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
