Maven's Memories: Denis Potvin's Breakout vs Rangers

Only a year after the franchise was born, the Islanders high command was convinced that it had a superstar-in-the-making.
His name was Denis Potvin and he was the first overall pick in the 1973 Entry Draft.
"A lot of teams wished they had the kid," remembered General Manager Bill Torrey. "Virtually every scouting report had Denis down as a sure thing."

Except, he wasn't. At least not before his big-league debut.
Prior to Potvin's rookie season (1973-74), the husky French-Canadian defenseman's potential greatness was on paper only. Proof positive was yet to come.
"It was a fact of life," noted Torrey's sidekick, Jim Devellano, "that number one pick's didn't always make it. When I worked for St.Louis in 1969, Rejean Houle (Canadiens) went Number One in the Draft.
"Houle was okay, but he never made it to the Hall of Fame. But the fella who went 17th, Bobby Clarke (Flyers) is in the Hall. The center who went 51st that year won four Stanley Cups -- Butch Goring."
Not that neither Bow Tie Bill nor Jimmy D were suffering any doubts about Denis. Not one bit.
"But," Devellano added, "our believing came after the seeing."

What the Islanders general staff would come to see easily could be billboarded as "A STAR IS BORN."
The trouble was that Al Arbour wasn't buying either.
Not so fast. Newly-hired by Torrey after Earl Ingarfield resigned as bench boss, Radar met the prodigy defenseman during the Summer of '73 and he let Denis have it.
"I'm worried about you," snapped Arbour. "You're overweight by at least 10 pounds. How come?"
Potvin couldn't explain it. The rookie said he'd worked out "all summer" but allowed that he "might be" a little slower than he should be.
Arbour: "I'm goin' to be harder on you than I am on some other guys."
The fresheman got the message from The Prof. "The guy I was most concerned about," Denis later allowed, "was Al Arbour."
Interestingly, Torrey picked up on Potvin's concerns and immiedately provided some much-needed assurance.
"Just play your game," said Torrey. "Take your time coming along if you want, but be ready for the season."
Bow Tie Bill's prescription was just what the doctor ordered.
MAVEN'S MEMORIES
WRITTEN COVERAGE
The Sutter Brothers
Kelly Hrudey Origins
How The Trio Grande Happened
Chico Resch's Unforgettable Game
Denis Potvin's Road to the Isles
Ziggy Palffy, Underrated Islanders Hero
Bill Torrey's Origin Story
The Heals and Flats Show
1993 Run Ends in Montreal
Maven's Haven
Denis: "Torrey had a very comforting effect on me and I felt relaxed as we opened the (1973) exhibition season. If I made a mistake, well, it was done with and I'd make up for it next time.
"I knew that people would resent me. It would be either resentment, envy or hate. My first contact with those sentiments came after our first exhibition game with the Rangers."
The veteran Blueshirts had been well aware that some Canadian media types were predicting that Potvin would be "the next Bobby Orr," and, if not Orr, the next Brad Park.
A Long Island resident whose home was not far the the Coliseum, the prideful Park skated against Potvin in the exhibition. The Rangers went up 3-0 and 4-1.
"Then I got hot," Potvin smiled. "Two shots and two goals. The Coliseum crowd went wild and I was tempted to take more chances but I deliberately held back."
The Islanders fought from behind and came off with a 6-6 tie. Granted, it was only an exhibition game but Denis handled himself with maturity. Most of the Rangers ducked commenting on Potvin's debut.
When Park directly was asked by the New York Post's Hugh Delano to comment on The Potvin Effect, Brad suggested it was too soon to rush a judgement.
"I'll reserve my decision for now," the Blueshirts backliner snapped; and left it at that.
The regular season hadn't even started but the Islanders-Rangers rivalry already was going full blast. Denis wasn't the least bit hesitant. He knew that a Park-Potvin verbal battle would be exciting to say the least.
"When Hugh Delano of the (New York) Post asked me what I thought of Park," Denis chuckled, "I saw it as my first opportunity to get involved in a juicy NHL controversy.
"I told Hughie, 'Park's a good defenseman but tonight he wasn't as aggressive as I expected him to be. Maybe he thought we would be a pushover. Leave it at this: I have mixed feelings about Park."
All of this was the prelude to the first regular season meeting between the Blueshirts and the Nassaumen. The date was October 27, 1973; the place Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
For Arbour's skaters it would be the eighth game of the campaign and they still had not recorded a win (0-3-4). Nor had they ever beaten the Manhattanites, dating back to their maiden season.
Radar knew he had to get the most out of his prize rookie. From the opening game against the Atlanta Flames, coach Arbour worked Potvin to the limit.
"In that first game," Denis declared, "coach had me on the ice for 40 out of the 60 minutes and I really felt it."
The youthful defender would feel even more pressure as he approached his first regular season encounter with the Rangers. Part of Potvin's problem was sheer inexperience.
During the Islanders home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers he coughed up the puck to Bill Flett of the Visitors. Flett scored and Philly skated away with a 6-0 embarassment.
"Flett came from out of nowhere," Denis declared post-game. "I never saw him."

A week later, Sabres veteran Tim Horton bumped Potvin off the puck and moved it to Don Luce who went in and scored. "Horton hit me," Denis said. "I fell down and lost the puck."
Playing the Rangers, as Denis anticipated, would be a totally different experience. It was roughly equivalent to Yankees-Mets, or Giants-Jets.
Meanwhile, Potvin's them was "Live and learn." Those three little words blended beautifully as Denis put his skates to Coliseum ice simultaneously with his enemies, the Rangers.
Potvin was well-prepared. His teammate, veteran puck-stopper Gerry Desjardins, had pulled the rookie aside with some advice.
Denis: "Gerry told me that (goalie) Eddie Giacomin pulls up on long shots. He told me to keep my shot low. I also decided to try a new stick, just for the heck of it."
Call it magic; call it maturity. Call it Luck Be A Lady Tonight. Any way you shake it, for Denis the dice came up Seven!
The crowd of 14,655 got to its feet in the first period after Denis unloaded a buzz bomb at Giacomin. It was low, just as Desjardins had suggested, and accurate as Potvin had hoped.
"I beat Giacomin low on his glove side," the fabulous Freshman detailed. "I did exactly what Gerry had told me to do."
It was Potvin's first NHL goal and the first goal of the game. It was not Denis' last goal of the game. Late in the second period he relieved Rangers center Peter Stemkowski of the puck.
"I took a couple of strides," Potvin glowed post-game in the clubhouse, "and didn't waste any time. It went right between Giacomin's pads."
The Nassaumen won the game, 3-2, and Potvin's name was headlined in all the New York papers. The Daily News subhead went like this: SPEAKING OF MIRACLES, ISLES 3, RANGERS 2.
News reporter Wes Gaffer, added, "It was a night to remember for Denis Potvin."
It certainly was; October 27, 1973 meant this for Denis Potvin.
A Star Is Born!