Denis Potvin
| Denis Potvin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1991 | |||
Potvin skating with the New York Islanders
|
|||
| Born |
October 29, 1953 Vanier, ON, CAN |
||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| 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 | ||
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 is a four-time Stanley Cup winner as a member of the early 1980s New York Islanders. He is 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 served as a commentator for Ottawa Senators' television broadcasts on Sportsnet. He is currently the color commentator for the Florida Panthers. Potvin was born in Vanier, Ontario, but grew up in Hull, Quebec.
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 defensemen in the game.
...
Wikipedia