Denis Potvin

Denis Potvin
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1991
Born	(1953-10-29) October 29, 1953 Hull, Quebec, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Defence
Played for	New York Islanders (NHL)
National team	Canada
NHL draft	1st overall, 1973 New York Islanders
Playing career	1973–1988

Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953) is a former defenceman and team captain for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League and cornerstone for the Islanders' four Stanley Cup championship teams in the early 1980s. His brother, Jean Potvin, was also an NHL defenceman and the brothers were teammates for a number of years. He was a cousin of former NHL player Marc Potvin.

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, 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 the team.

Potvin came into the league with extraordinarily high expectations of being the savior of the franchise as well as the next Bobby Orr. While he did not dominate the game as did the great Boston defenceman, 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 defenceman in 1975–76, 1977–78, and 1978–79. Upon Orr's decline and retirement he was widely acknowledged, along with Larry Robinson, to be the premier backliner 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 defenceman (Orr being the first) to score 30 goals and 100 points in a single season, marks which even today few defencemen have reached. Potvin was awarded his third Norris trophy for the regular season, which the Islanders finished first in the NHL. However, despite being heavily favored to win their semifinals series against the New York Rangers, the Islanders 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 led the team during its glory years: in addition to the four consecutive 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 defenceman. Potvin's mark was later surpassed by Paul Coffey and Raymond Bourque.

In retrospect, he was a more traditional defender than Orr and an extremely physical player who nonetheless toppled Orr's career scoring marks, although Potvin played 403 more games than Orr. Potvin averaged just under a point per game in his career, while Orr averaged 1.39 points per game. After his peak years, Potvin suffered a series of injuries that impeded optimal performance, especially during the regular season, but remained a star, retiring after the 1988 season. Potvin declined an offer to come out of retirement and play for then-Rangers coach Mike Keenan in 1993.

Current life

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 is being replaced by former Florida Panthers' player Bill Lindsay.

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 defencemen) in 1,060 games, adding 1,356 penalty minutes.
• Retired as the NHL career leader in playoff goals, assists, and points for defencemen.
• 40th all-time in assists, and 10th among defencemen, as of the end of the 2008–09 season.
• Currently 60th all-time in points, as of the end of the 2008–09 season.
• Won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman 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) to play 1,000 games in an Islanders uniform.
• There is a tradition at Madison Square Garden to chant "Potvin Sucks!" during New York Rangers home games, particularly when the Islanders are visiting. The tradition began after Potvin checked the Rangers' Ulf Nilsson on February 25, 1979, and broke his ankle.

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