Team Toe Blake selects as
Defense #2 Denis Potvin
Seemingly always on the All Star team, this guy could do it all. He'd crush you with a bodycheck, score an important goal or just make great plays with the puck. I can't believe he's still available. And 20 years after his retirement, Ranger fans are still chanting "Potvin Sucks".
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 Torrey drafted Denis Potvin first overall in the 1973
entry draft,
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. Although it was tempting, as the Islanders would immediately benefit from the trade, 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.[
citation needed] 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 first defenceman besides Orr 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.
[1] 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, who was a more productive scorer but not known for physical or defensive play.
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. 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.
[2]
Awards:
Norris Trophy: 1976, 1978, 1979
4 Stanley Cups