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Galway's Finest: The Samuel Savage Story (Episode One)
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(This post was last modified: 04-05-2021, 03:12 AM by Alyxander.)

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Galway's Finest: The Samuel Savage Story
Episode One: Home

We open on the subject of our documentary, Samuel Eoin Savage, walking down the main street of his hometown, Galway, Ireland. Just days ago he put the ink to paper and signed his first SHL Contract with the team that drafted him with the 30th Overall pick in the S59 Entry draft, the Minnesota Monarchs. As wonderful of an accomplishment as it is, Savage is seen by most to be several years away from ever stepping on the SHL Ice, as the 19 year old showed a lot of promise when he was signed by the SMJHL's Newfoundland Beserkers mid-way through last season, but also was shown to be a very raw prospect in many aspects. Despite some short-comings it was overall a very exciting year for the Berserkers, who fought all the way to the semi-finals before falling in 5 games to the Anchorage Armada. S59 is full of question marks for the Zerks, as they lose their cup-winning long time Captain and club legend, Vaseline Podcalzone to his major league team, the Seattle Argonauts. Vaseline is irreplaceable in every sense of the word but regardless of this massive blow, there are many positives to be found in Newfoundland. They took one of the younger teams in the league all the way to the semi-finals, and have many of their key pieces returning, as well as the man who is arguably the best GM duos in Hockey, regardless of the level. With all this uncertainty there is yet another question that could partially define the Berserkers, not just this year, but for the foreseeable future...

Who is Samuel Savage?

This time last year in the SHL world, Samuel Savage was, simply put, nobody. He was a unknown non-entity to most if not all of the scouts in Juniors and Professional Hockey alike. As a heavy-set, relatively out of shape 18 year old playing Center for his local amateur team, the Galway Fisherman, his high work rate and undeniably impressive ability to get under his opponents skin wasn't exactly going to end up on Sportscenter. However, somehow, despite all odds, Nhamlet and the scouts over at Zerks HQ were able to catch wind of the scrappy young irish boy, routinely playing against 30 year old men and grinding them into the ice, while also showcasing flashes of Defensive brilliance you rarely see from a forward of his age. Nhamlet signed Savage after an extensive interview process and sent him on the first plane to St. John's, Newfoundland.

Samuel Savage: "I mean, yeah that was fuckin' wild. Look like, there's some incredible Irish players in the SHL's history but, this isn't Canada, or Russia, or America, or whatever. This is Ireland, hockey isn't mainstream here, we're seen as the black sheep in a country full of black sheep. So when you see those great Irish guys making it to the league, that's a miracle, but if you know anything about me or my past I mean...It's gotta be some fuckin' divine intervention that I've found myself here."

Samuel speaks to the documentary crew as he stands in front of Salthill Beach, the North Atlantic Ocean violent crashing into the sands of the Irish Coast, some seagulls can be seen circling above, Savage watches them with a bit of a smirk on his face as he sips a Kilkenny Cream Ale from a tall can.

"Gullies, aye? Love those fuckin' things, they get a bad reputation, ya know? Just wanna clean up your trash and everyone thinks they're assholes for it...maybe we have something in common."

Samuel chuckles as he turns and keeps walking, slugging a gym bag higher on his shoulder as he sets off. His half-season debut was a bit of a mixed bag. At his best he was an exciting, energizer bunny of a spark plug, despite not being the fastest guy in hockey he still would often seem to cover every inch of the ice. Beyond the traditionally appreciated facets of his game, there was another massive aspect that most Hockey professionals would be reluctant to praise but NL fans love him for above all else; agitation. You would be very hard pressed to find a guy playing the game today with as much of an ability to get under peoples skin. Whether it's just his trash talk or his inexplicable gift for perfectly timing and getting away with the occasion elbow or trip, Samuel dedicated every second of his 7 minutes of ice time per game into making life a living hell for those going up against the Berzerkers.

"Just like pissing people off, really. Couldn't even tell you why, I don't know. Maybe it's something to do with growing up here. Irish lads like to take the piss in general but I didn't have an easy time growing up. Not trying to bore any of ya's with a sob story but you know, I was a fat kid, got picked on a lot. Most of the people who said those things were older than me, and I wasn't really a fan of getting my head kicked in so I didn't wanna fight them, not in a fair fight, anyway. Only other way to defend yourself is either a cheap shot or talking shit, so...I got really good at both."


Savage relays these childhood memories as he is now at the local gym he would frequent once he really committed himself to Hockey, he eventually laces up his sneakers and walks out of the locker room. While Savage was undeniably staying true to the core tenants of agitation and playing his role the only way he knew how, his game didn't always hold up to the standard of the SMJHL. This was particularly exposed in the Berserkers play-off run, which saw Samuel, even in his limited play time, come up against the best that Junior Hockey has to offer, and he just couldn't stack up. The top level players were so locked in due to the Four Star Cup being in their sights, his agitation didn't quite have it's normal effect on them, and when it finally came down to pure talent vs. talent, Savage was lost at sea.

"Hard to stomach, that. Fuckin' sickening really. I mean don't get me wrong, I couldn't have been more proud of the boys and what we all did as a team, and maybe no one was really expecting us too, but we really believed we had a good chance at the cup. Try not to beat myself up and that, but it's tough not to feel like I let 'em down a bit, they'd never say it though, I don't know man, always been a bit of a prick to myself so maybe I'm just being a critic. Either way, it hurt, mostly just knowing that was the last season I'll play with Poddy, maybe ever. I know he already has one, as he deserves, but I would've loved to seen him lift the cup in person, love that guy. Anyway, that's why I'm back here in the offseason, I got paid, more money than anyone in my family has ever seen, so you really couldn't of blamed me if I went on a bit of a holiday but to be honest, it never crossed my mind. I don't have time for it, really, I have to get better. I don't know how next season is gonna go for me, but I can promise one thing, I'm gonna be ready. I'm gonna look like I fuckin' belong."

Samuel says this all in between heavy breaths as we catch him at the end of a workout that starts with a few miles on the treadmill then goes to a full body weight circuit before ending with spending the last of his energy on some boxing and footwork at the heavy bags. Savage tosses his heavy rain jacket and the rest of his street clothes on as he walks out of the gym, a few older Galway locals recognize him a few blocks down the road, Samuel happily stops to chat with them for a while, one of them offering a few words for the documentary

Galway Local: "I've know Sammy since he was a little one, I was actually a revolutionary with his grandaddy back in the day, good people the Savages, honest, simple, people. Sam was a bit of a trouble maker growing up, couldn't help himself I think. But he never meant any harm by it really, just not a lot to do but fish or get into some shit around here. Everything changed when he found hockey though, never seen anything put a smile on a kids face like hockey did for him."

After catching up with the old family friends for awhile, Samuel continues his walk until he eventually makes it to his childhood home, where his family still resides. A humble, quaint little townhouse made mostly of brick, packed into a heavily populated neighborhood just on the outskirts of the city center. The nicest feature of the property easily being it's beautiful beach view, the now setting sun contrasting against the Irish sea. As Samuel enters the house we see the inside is similarly humble, with fairly traditional Irish Catholic décor lining the living spaces, as well as some family photos and relics, showcasing the proud history of a long line of Savages whose roots run deep in the soil of Galway and across Ireland in general. Some vintage IRA memorabilia can also be seen throughout the abode, a key but somewhat controversial aspect of the history of Savages in Ireland. As we enter the main dining area we see two mid-40s aged adults and a young kid, maybe 9, setting the table.

"So, this is my mum, Kara, my dad, Shay, and my little brother, Kieran."

Kara: "Hiya everyone!"

Shay: "Just in time for dinner lads, have a seat, hope you like a stew."

Far removed from all the hustle and noise of the life of an SHL Prospect, and even more removed from the mean, loud-mouthed persona Samuel finds himself portraying on the ice, we see nothing but a family, bonding through good food and better stories, as the sun sets on a calm Sunday evening in the village of Galway. We fade to black for a brief moment before fading back in to Samuel sitting on his bed in his childhood bedroom, sipping another tall beer as he relaxes in his dimly lit den, with a large but old Television playing a retro Minnesota Chiefs game. He sighs as he wipes the beer from his mouth.

"I just wanna make everyone proud, you know. My family, Newfoundland, Minnesota, everyone. All these people who see something in me, who've given me a chance while the rest of the world told me I wasn't worth it. I mean even now,  I see all these guys on Twitter, with their advanced stats, trying to explain why I'm bad at hockey, like, fuck lads I don't know what a 'Corsi' is, and I don't think I really care to, I just wanna help us win hockey games, and I know I can do that. I know they don't mean anything nasty by it, and neither do I, but one day I'm gonna have a C on my chest and a cup in my hands, and anyone who doubts that can get fucked."


Samuel laughs and takes a deep swig of beer, as we finally fade out on Episode One.

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From Galway's finest to Newfoundland's finest

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