Savard headed the ownership group that ran the Canadiens through the late 1930s, a period of on-ice struggle culminating in a difficult 1939-40 season. His departure in April 1940 cleared the way for Senator Donat Raymond's era and Tommy Gorman's arrival as general manager, a turning point that preceded the Canadiens' return to contention in the 1940s. Savard was also a prominent Montreal sportsman more broadly, having helped revive the Montreal Royals baseball franchise in 1928.