What were Denis Potvin's weaknesses? | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League
Toggle sidebar

What were Denis Potvin's weaknesses?

BenchBrawl

BenchBrawl

Registered User
Jul 26, 2010
31,001
14,593
For those more erudite about his play and career progression, from his rookie year to the dynasty years, what were Denis Potvin's weaknesses as a player? Did he have any? I'm more interested in weaknesses he had while healthy and in his prime than by his eventual ''injury prone-ness'' in itself.

He's usually mentioned as one of the most complete player of all-time, so I was wondering.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MarkusNaslund19 and brucejohnjennerlawso
I'd say his skating. He was a good skater but never the fastest out there, by no means was he slow but I think like Lidstrom he used his IQ and played the angles really well...really positionaly sound. That's the only 'weakness' I think he had, I mean can you imagine Potvin with the fluidity of Orr or Coffey?
 
I agree, his skating.

When he was young and at his best - in the '70s, especially in the first half of his 20s - his skating was very good. It was good enough to support his greatest strengths - his phenomenal vision, confidence, passing skills, hitting, point shot. I think he was the best player in the NHL in the 2nd half of the 1970s. But he lost a step at some point, and it affected his overall game. Even during the dynasty years he wasn't as good as he had been.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fixxer and BenchBrawl
I was going to say the same thing. There were essentially none. But, if you had to nitpick, then one could say that he wasn't really a fast skater, when compared to everything else in his toolbox which was basically exceptional.
 
Staniowski said:
I agree, his skating.

When he was young and at his best - in the '70s, especially in the first half of his 20s - his skating was very good. It was good enough to support his greatest strengths - his phenomenal vision, confidence, passing skills, hitting, point shot. I think he was the best player in the NHL in the 2nd half of the 1970s. But he lost a step at some point, and it affected his overall game. Even during the dynasty years he wasn't as good as he had been.
Click to expand...

Agree with everything you wrote, including that he was the best player in the latter part of the 70s. At his peak, he is number two with a bullet behind Bobby Orr in terms of defencemen I've seen play in my lifetime.
 
He really was a complete player. Equally good offensively as he was defensively. Easily a top 5 dman all time. Hard to get a weakness in his game.
 
NyQuil said:
Commentating.

Sorry, I went there.
Click to expand...
It's okay, I came to say the same thing.

The dynasty Isles really had some personalities in that locker room, eh? You've got Trottier, who lost all his money at the end of his career and decided to forgo Canada to play for the US in 1984. You've got prickly, prima-donna Mike Bossy, who told his teammates -- as a rookie -- that he preferred his wife to them. Then, you've got crazy Billy Smith in goal, who'd just as soon poke your eye out as stop the puck.

I'd previously thought Potvin was the picture of normality compared to those guys... but then he became a broadcaster and I realized he was another nut.

Lots of credit to Al Arbour, I guess.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NCRanger and NyQuil
The Panther said:
You've got prickly, prima-donna Mike Bossy, who told his teammates -- as a rookie -- that he preferred his wife to them.
Click to expand...

His teammates feelings must have been so hurt when they realized Bossy liked his wife more than them. If I played on a hockey team and one of my teammates told me he liked his family more than me, my ego probably never would have recovered. Imagine playing for the Stanley Cup with such a guy. So demoralizing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nerowoy nora tolad, wetcoast, Iron Mike Sharpe and 3 others
Yeah I don't get the Bossy = prick comment. I met Bossy when I was young - after winning his tournament - and he came in the room to hang out with us. He was a really nice guy. He's often on french TV and his vibe is just as nice as when I met him. You never really know people but he'd be among the last players I'd suspect of being a prick.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dingo
senior edler said:
His teammates feelings must have been so hurt when they realized Bossy liked his wife more than them. If I played on a hockey team and one of my teammates told me he liked his family more than me, my ego probably never would have recovered. Imagine playing for the Stanley Cup with such a guy. So demoralizing.
Click to expand...

Bossy just climed up the personal respect ladder for me. A rookie with a mind and decisions of his own? Good for him.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Dingo and decma
Not exactly a weakness but...

When young Bossy continually sniped goals on the pp in practice, the coach decided the mission of the pp was: "Get the puck to Bossy."

 
BenchBrawl said:
Yeah I don't get the Bossy = prick comment. I met Bossy when I was young - after winning his tournament - and he came in the room to hang out with us. He was a really nice guy. He's often on french TV and his vibe is just as nice as when I met him. You never really know people but he'd be among the last players I'd suspect of being a prick.
Click to expand...

The thing I remember hearing was that some of his mates, (particularly Gillies? ), were upset with him for being so vocal against fighting, as part of the game, when THEY were fighting to protect HIM. I even remember that there was supposedly a remark by Gillies that he was at the point of going to STOP standing up for him.

I'm not claiming that second remark is true, but I definitely recall that it was at least rumored?
 
Chris Botta 2/22/10 SNY TV Bobby Orr on Denis Potvin: ' An "Islander News" Flashback from 1988 (June '88, Orr's thoughts on Potvin)
Orr: " When the Bruins played the Islanders, it was understood throughout our team that it was mandatory to shut Denis down...."
"Offensively, he was incredible. He was such big guy who could skate like the wind. One of the reasons I think it's ridiculous to try and decide who was better between the two of us is because we played under drastically different systems. In Al Arbour's scheme, there was no way Denis was allowed the freedom to roam with the puck the way I did in Boston..."
Arbour was the new coach and Potvin was the rookie in '73-74 and the Isles allowed 100 fewer goals than their previous (inaugural) season. It looks like system and responsibilities factor in and Potvin was a better skater than shown.
 
  • Like
Reactions: brucejohnjennerlawso
brachyrynchos said:
Chris Botta 2/22/10 SNY TV Bobby Orr on Denis Potvin: ' An "Islander News" Flashback from 1988 (June '88, Orr's thoughts on Potvin)
Orr: " When the Bruins played the Islanders, it was understood throughout our team that it was mandatory to shut Denis down...."
"Offensively, he was incredible. He was such big guy who could skate like the wind. One of the reasons I think it's ridiculous to try and decide who was better between the two of us is because we played under drastically different systems. In Al Arbour's scheme, there was no way Denis was allowed the freedom to roam with the puck the way I did in Boston..."
Arbour was the new coach and Potvin was the rookie in '73-74 and the Isles allowed 100 fewer goals than their previous (inaugural) season. It looks like system and responsibilities factor in and Potvin was a better skater than shown.
Click to expand...

Always the classy diplomat. Bobby Orr is simply everything you could ask for as a player and as a human being.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cole von cole, brucejohnjennerlawso, Normand Lacombe and 1 other person
BobbyAwe said:
The thing I remember hearing was that some of his mates, (particularly Gillies? ), were upset with him for being so vocal against fighting, as part of the game, when THEY were fighting to protect HIM. I even remember that there was supposedly a remark by Gillies that he was at the point of going to STOP standing up for him.

I'm not claiming that second remark is true, but I definitely recall that it was at least rumored?
Click to expand...

Sure, but that's hardly being prickly. He had a strong opinion and held his own at the face of immense pressure since his opinion was so radical in his era.
 
Potvin wasn't prickly but he was often labeled as pompous and arrogant especially after his journal 'The Candid Cup' was published in 'The Canadian'.
His thoughts on Canada Cup in '76 and playing in Ottawa: "Even when I was on the ice, there was no recognition from the fans, nothing to say they appreciated my 6 years in the same rink as a junior...I've never felt as though I've ever received any gratitude from the people of Ottawa, specifically the fans...One thing I know for sure: if ever the opportunity arose for me to go back to Ottawa to play again, I would never go back". Ouch.
Potvin also felt he should have gotten the MVP instead of Orr, claiming himself to have played better while complaining that Orr was getting too many trophies. Potvin did backtrack soon after, "Maybe my wording was wrong. Maybe I should have elaborated more, like saying there were six or seven players- Rogie Vachon, Serge Savard, and Gilbert Perreault to name three- who deserved the MVP after the Soviet and Czech games as much as I did, or more than Orr. Listen, other guys I'm sure agreed with what I wrote. I'm sorry, but you can't go on being pro everything all your life, it's not human nature".
Some of his Islander teammates were upset at Potvin, one player saying "we didn't like reading what Denis had to say one bit. Nothing was said to him, but Denis knew how we all felt". Or as defenseman Gerry Hart noted "We've learned to shake our heads at some things that Denis says. If he gets too pompous, we knock him right down".
* sources: Washington Post 1/16/77 Robert Fachet 'Potvin stirs things up on, off Islander ice'
Sports Illustrated 11/8/76 Peter Gammons 'It was nothing to write home about'
 
  • Like
Reactions: Michael Farkas and mrhockey193195
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Latest posts

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom