Félix-Antoine Savage didn’t play very long for the Victoriaville Tigres. About forty games, spread over two seasons, from 2012 to 2014. However, he spent enough time in the pearl of the Bois-Francs to understand how famous his family name was there.
“There wasn’t a day that went by that I went to the arena without someone stopping me to tell me how much my father had left his mark on the city. Every day, people told me stories about him.”
Félix-Antoine is the son of Tigres legend Réginald Savage, who amassed 329 points in 185 season games in Victoriaville, in addition to 56 points in 37 playoff games. His father was inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame posthumously on Wednesday night, after succumbing to a devastating cancer last December. His son, now living in Tennessee, traveled a long way to represent his family. Because he wouldn’t have missed the induction ceremony for anything in the world.
“I wanted to do this for my father,” he explained in a short interview with The Press.
“It warms everyone’s heart,” he continued.
I knew my dad had made his mark on the league, we all know his stats and his impact. But for the league to take the time to recognize him, it honors our entire family.
Felix-Antoine Savage
Reginald Savage’s legacy extends far beyond his exploits on the ice. The Montrealer was one of the first blacks to play in the QMJHL, and certainly the first to achieve such success.
The price to pay
This pioneering role, however, came at a price. He was subjected to racist insults throughout his hockey career, particularly during his junior training, from 1987 to 1990. In an interview with RDS in 2015, for example, he recounted that bananas had already been thrown at him on the ice. “I was around 18, I was practically a teenager,” he said.
However, he overcame these challenges and spent 15 years in the professional ranks, first in the NHL, then in the American League, the International League and in Europe.
Félix-Antoine Savage recalls how his father was “a reserved, very humble man”, who did not talk about his career – neither his successes nor the dark moments when the colour of his skin made him a target of choice for his adversaries.
He told us a few stories from the time when things were rough at the arena, when he was getting beaten up, especially in the playoffs… But he never complained. For him, it was normal, he had to get through it. He had a resilience that few people have had.
Felix-Antoine Savage
He did, however, express “a little reservation” when his son expressed an interest in playing hockey. Félix-Antoine was nevertheless able to testify that 25 years after his father’s passing, “society had evolved a lot.”
He is therefore the first to know to what extent builders like Reginald Savage are a “key” for young racialized athletes who practice sports where they are historically underrepresented.
“We need role models, so that everyone can see themselves at this level. So that young people can say to themselves: it’s possible for me to do this sport, even if there are fewer people who look like me,” continues Félix-Antoine Savage.
“That’s why we see more of them today. Because people like my father paved the way.”