Denis Potvin

Denis Potvin
Born	(1953-10-29) October 29, 1953 Hull, QC, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Islanders (NHL)
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	1st overall, 1973 New York Islanders
Playing career	1973–1988
Hall of Fame, 1991

Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953) is a retired professional ice hockey defenseman and team captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. He was a four-time Stanley Cup winner with the Islanders in the early 1980s and was also a three-time James Norris Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL's top defenseman. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991, and currently serves as a commentator for Ottawa Senators' television broadcasts on Sportsnet.

Biography

Playing career

After a stellar junior hockey career with the Ottawa 67s, Potvin was drafted first overall in the 1973 National Hockey League Amateur Draft by the struggling expansion Islanders, a team which had recorded the worst record in modern National Hockey League (NHL) history the previous season. Right after Bill Torrey drafted Potvin, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Sam Pollock approached Torrey, hoping to trade for Potvin. Pollock's strategy was to offer a "quick-fix" package of mature players to exchange for the top draft pick. Torrey ultimately turned down the offer since he felt that Potvin would be a long-term asset to his team.

Upon joining the Islanders, Potvin wanted to wear number 7 on his uniform but was forced to take number 5, as forward Germain Gagnon was wearing number 7. Potvin entered the NHL with high expectations; he was regarded by some as the savior of the Islanders' franchise, and by others as potentially the next Bobby Orr. While he did not dominate the game in the same way as Orr, Potvin became an immediate star, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 1973–74 and the James Norris Memorial Trophy as league's top defenseman in 1975–76, 1977–78, and 1978–79. Upon Orr's decline and retirement in the late 1970s, Potvin became widely acknowledged, along with Larry Robinson, as the premier defenseman in the game.

Potvin was known for being intelligent, articulate, and outspoken off the ice. Throughout the 1970s, his Islander teammates often were turned off as these traits made Potvin come across as arrogant. He offended many hockey fans by stating publicly that he had played better in the 1976 Canada Cup than Bobby Orr, and that the latter's selection as tournament MVP was for sentimental reasons. However, as Potvin matured, he became a great leader as he learned to use these same qualities to positively affect his teammates.

His best season offensively was 1979, during which he became the second defenseman (Orr being the first) to score 30 goals and 100 points in a single season. Potvin was awarded his third Norris trophy for the regular season, which the Islanders finished first overall in the NHL. However, despite being heavily favored to win their semi-final series against the New York Rangers, the talented but young Islanders' team ultimately lost in six games. Clark Gillies stepped down as captain during the off-season, and Potvin became the team's third captain, a position he held until relinquishing it in 1987. In 1979–80, Potvin's first year as captain, the Islanders won their first of four Stanley Cups. Potvin was a key part of the Islanders during the team's early 1980s glory years: in addition to the four consecutive Stanley Cup championships and five straight finals appearances, in the eight seasons he served as captain the Islanders never failed to reach the playoffs.

Potvin retired as the National Hockey League's leader in goals and points by a defenseman. His career totals were later surpassed by Paul Coffey and Raymond Bourque, although each did so playing significantly more games (1,409 and 1,612, respectively, to Potvin's 1,060).

Potvin was a more traditional defender than Orr and an extremely physical player. He averaged just under a point per game over his career (0.992), while Orr averaged 1.39 points per game. Late in his career, Potvin suffered a series of injuries that impeded his performance, leading to his retirement following the 1988 season. Potvin received an offer from Mike Keenan to come out of retirement and play for arch-rival New York Rangers in 1993.

Broadcasting

Potvin was a color commentator for Florida Panthers television broadcasts on FS Florida from the team's inception in 1993 through the 2008–09 NHL season. At various times, he was paired with Jeff Rimer, Dave Strader and Steve Goldstein. On May 6, 2009, the Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that the Panthers would not renew his contract in order to save money. He was replaced by former Panthers' player Bill Lindsay.

In September 2010, Potvin was hired as the Ottawa Senators’ television colour analyst, working with Dean Brown on Rogers Sportsnet.

Other

Potvin's brother, Jean Potvin, was also an NHL defenseman and the brothers were teammates for a number of years with the Islanders. He is a cousin of former NHL player Marc Potvin.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1968–69	Ottawa 67's	OHA		46	12	25	37	83		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Ottawa 67's	OHA		42	13	18	31	97		5	2	1	3	9
1970–71	Ottawa 67's	OHA		57	20	58	78	200		11	4	6	10	26
1971–72	Ottawa 67's	OHA		48	15	45	60	188		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Ottawa 67's	OHA		61	35	88	123	232		9	6	10	16	22
1973–74	New York Islanders	NHL		77	17	37	54	175		—	—	—	—	—
1974–75	New York Islanders	NHL		79	21	55	76	105		17	5	9	14	30
1975–76	New York Islanders	NHL		78	31	67	98	100		13	5	14	19	32
1976–77	New York Islanders	NHL		80	25	55	80	103		12	6	4	10	20
1977–78	New York Islanders	NHL		80	30	64	94	81		7	2	2	4	6
1978–79	New York Islanders	NHL		73	31	70	101	58		10	4	7	11	8
1979–80	New York Islanders*	NHL		31	8	33	41	44		21	6	13	19	24
1980–81	New York Islanders*	NHL		74	20	56	76	104		18	8	17	25	16
1981–82	New York Islanders*	NHL		60	24	37	61	83		19	5	16	21	30
1982–83	New York Islanders*	NHL		69	12	54	66	60		20	8	12	20	22
1983–84	New York Islanders	NHL		78	22	63	85	87		20	1	5	6	28
1984–85	New York Islanders	NHL		77	17	51	68	96		10	3	2	5	10
1985–86	New York Islanders	NHL		74	21	38	59	78		3	0	1	1	0
1986–87	New York Islanders	NHL		58	12	30	42	70		10	2	2	4	21
1987–88	New York Islanders	NHL		72	19	32	51	112		5	1	4	5	6
OHA totals				254	95	234	329	800		25	12	17	29	57
NHL totals				1060	310	742	1052	1356		185	56	108	164	253

* = Stanley Cup champion

Career achievements and facts

• Retired having scored 310 goals and 742 assists for 1,052 points (at the time, the NHL career leader in all those categories for defensemen) in 1,060 games, adding 1,356 penalty minutes.
• Retired as the NHL career leader in playoff goals, assists, and points for defensemen.
• 41st all-time in assists, and 10th among defensemen, as of the end of the 2010–11 season.
• Currently 62nd all-time in points, as of the end of the 2010-11 season.
• Won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in 1976, 1978, and 1979.
• His jersey #5 was retired by the Islanders on February 1, 1992, the first such honor bestowed by the franchise.
• In 1991, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 1998, he was ranked number 19 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• In 2002, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.
• One of only two players (Bryan Trottier being the other) to play 1,000 games in an Islanders uniform.

See also

• Notable families in the NHL
• Captain (ice hockey)
• List of NHL players with 1000 points
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

External links

• Denis Potvin's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Denis Potvin's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database

Preceded by Billy Harris	NHL first overall draft pick 1973	Succeeded by Greg Joly
Preceded by Billy Harris	New York Islanders first round draft pick 1973	Succeeded by Clark Gillies
Preceded by Clark Gillies	New York Islanders captain 1979–87	Succeeded by Brent Sutter
Preceded by Bobby Orr	Winner of the Norris Trophy 1976	Succeeded by Larry Robinson
Preceded by Larry Robinson	Winner of the Norris Trophy 1978, 1979	Succeeded by Larry Robinson
Preceded by Steve Vickers	Winner of the Calder Trophy 1974	Succeeded by Eric Vail