Savage attended
Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School in Sudbury as a teenager. He was a proficient golfer and track athlete. He played one season with the
Sudbury Cubs of the
Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League before jumping to college. The nephew of former NHL players
Larry,
Wayne and
Floyd Hillman. Savage was originally drafted in
1991 in the 8th round, 171st overall by the
Montreal Canadiens. After completing his college hockey career at
Miami University, he began his professional career with the
Fredericton Canadiens of the
AHL in 1993. His first taste of the
National Hockey League came at the tail end of the
1993–94 season, playing in 3 regular season and 3 playoff games. Savage was the first Montreal Canadien since
Joe Malone in
1917 to record six points in a road game when he had four goals and two assists against the Islanders on April 8, 1999. He also recorded the Canadiens' first hat trick in
Bell Centre history on October 7, 1996. After several fast starts in the month of October and subsequently fading the rest of those seasons, Savage became known as hockey's "Mr. October". After parts of eight seasons with the Canadiens, Savage was traded to the
Phoenix Coyotes on January 25, 2002, along with a
2002 3rd-round pick for
Sergei Berezin. On December 27, 2003, he scored the first Coyote goal in
Jobing.com Arena. He was soon after traded to the
St. Louis Blues for their playoff run. Due to the parameters of the trade, he was claimed off waivers by Phoenix in the off-season. Following the
2004–05 NHL lockout, Phoenix
bought out his contract for $1.9 million. Savage signed a one-year deal with the
Philadelphia Flyers prior to the
2005–06 NHL season. After one season in Philadelphia, Savage announced his retirement on September 21, 2006. Savage was the co-owner of the now defunct
New Mexico Scorpions of the
Central Hockey League while he was playing for the Flyers. ==Personal life==