Canadiens icon Savard prepared to buy team

Former Montreal Canadiens general manager Serge Savard says he and a group of partners are prepared to buy the NHL franchise if it is put up for sale.

Canadiens majority shareholder George Gillett is seeking advice from financial firms in Canada and elsewhere about how he might maximize his holdings.

Gillett owns the Bell Centre, where the Canadiens play, as well as 80 percent of the team.

Savard doesn't know if the Canadiens will go on the block, but he has told various Quebec media he would be part of a consortium that would bid for the team.

Gillett also owns 50 percent of the Liverpool English soccer team and has interests in the Richard Petty Motorsports NASCAR team and other sports entities.