Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard retired from the NHL in early May after 14 seasons. Apart from the Habs, he has also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning. He won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2021.Now, after such a long NHL career, this is his first offseason, when he is not preparing to start a new season in October. Discussing this feeling at a Club de Golf Sainte-Marie interview posted on X on Saturday, he said he already misses the game.“I miss it already. I know I’ll miss it next season," Savard said. "…I’ll miss going to the arena & practicing with the guys everyday but you have to realize when your time is up.”Savard's last NHL game was against the Washington Capitals on April 30 in the playoffs. After the game, his teammates hugged him. Savard was emotional and wiped away tears as seen in the video clip.Capitals coach Spencer Carbery called him a warrior and praised his career."That guy has been a warrior in this league for a long, long time and it's an impressive career," Carbery said, via NHL.com. "That guy lays it on the line. Starting his career, I remember in Columbus, (and) wins Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay. So, it was an honor to compete against David Savard."Savard retired after playing 870 NHL games. In his career, he scored 54 goals and had 188 assists. Moreover, he has played 62 playoff games, registering 17 points.Over his career, he was a steady defenseman and a team leader. In the 2024-25 season, he played 75 games for Montreal, scoring a goal and 14 assists.David Savard's reason behind his retirement from the NHLBefore the playoffs in April, David Savard had talked about his intentions behind retirement. He felt his body was slowing down by Christmas."Around Christmas time I kind of knew what my body felt like," Savard said, via NHL.com. "My body's just kind of failing a little bit. By that time, just thinking about going through another summer, another season, you just don't see yourself doing it."He told his teammates and management months before, but went public in April."I just knew my body wasn't able to do what I used to do," Savard saidSavard helped young defensemen like Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle. He feels proud to leave the Canadiens in a better place and looks forward to watching the team’s future as a fan.