Maven's Memories: Remembering Jean Potvin

Every famous Islander -- remembered or forgotten -- had an image.
There was Bob Nystrom's intensity; goal-hungry Mike Bossy; super defender Denis Potvin, angry Billy Smith.
And then there was Jean Potvin.
You can call him a lot of things. All good.

"I liked Potsy," coach Al Arbour once said, "because I could always feel confident that when I put him on the ice, he'd give me all he had."
Johnny, as many of us liked to call him, had plenty of moves in his repertoire. He played a smart, solid defense and could be extra-tough on demand. He was a much better offensive defenseman than most observers had recognized over the years.
READ: JEAN POTVIN PASSES AWAY
During the 1975-76 season, for example, the Ottawa-born, Hull, Quebec native totalled 17 goals and 55 assists for 72 points over 78 games.
"If Jean Potvin had a 'weakness,'" one longtime Islanders reporter noted, "it was his brother, Denis. As history has shown, Denis Potvin got as much attention for his feats as any Islander in history and also was captain of the four-time Cup-winners.
"But Denis learned how to lead from following his big brother dating all the way back to when they were kids growing up in Hull."
Denis was the first to second that motion. In his autobiography, "Power On Ice," the younger brother allowed as to how Jean was his role model. They were that close. In this sibling sense, it was a case of follow the leader.
"Nobody had more of an influence on my career than Potsy," Denis observed. "He was my pillar both when I started Junior hockey and when I came to the Islanders."
Jean made it to major Junior hockey first with the Ottawa 67s and Denis followed in big brother's skate steps. It seemed almost inevitable that, at some time, they would be paired together on an NHL team.
Bill Torrey knew that when he made a deal during the Isles maiden season with Philadelphia. At the time, Jean was playing solid hockey for the Flyers while Terry Crisp ranked among the best Isles forwards.
Denis Potvin: "I followed Jean as he moved up the ladder. It was only natural, but it was impossible to tell where we'd be once Johnny got to the NHL."
The Los Angeles Kings nabbed Potsy who played four games in the 1970-71 season and tallied a goal and three assists. A year later he honed his NHL game to sharpness with 39 big league games as a King.
He then was moved to Philadelphis as a pseudo-Broad Street Bully in 1971-72 and into the next campaign which also happened to be the Isles maiden campaign year.
Significantly, it was the year before Denis Potvin would surely go as the first overall Draft choice and Bill Torrey held that card. But Bow Tie Bill knew that Denis would be sought by a ton of teams including the new World Hockey Association.
"I wanted Jean for a few reasons," Bow Tie Bill admitted. "I knew he could play; that already was evident; but I also knew that I would be bidding against the WHA when it came to getting Denis in the 1973 Entry Draft."

Torrey made the deal and Jean Potvin was a certified Islander as of the end of the 1972-73 season. And now the WHA biggies were ready to bid for Denis. Their offer was tempting.
"Of course I listened," Denis recalled, "and it was an interesting period but uppermost in my mind was having my brother play on the same team. And, of course, that was what happened."
Jean remained and proved an integral part of an emerging power. He was a strong leader in the colossal 1975 playoff upset of the Rangers and continued to be a factor moving forward to the club's first two Cup years. And he was deceptive in many ways.
His offense was stronger than most expected and he was tougher than he appeared beyond the wide grin. Denis remembered when they were Juniors and the toughest player in the Ontario Hockey League was Steve Durbano of the Marlies.
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Denis: "They were a very strong, tough team and when they came to our building, Jean said, 'Enough of this.' In the same he confronted Durbano and they squared off. But what Durbano didn't know was that Jean was a lefty and my brother got him in the nose and down went Steve. Our crowd went nuts and Johnny did a victory lap."
Younger Islanders fans who missed his halcyon years got a taste of Jean's smarts in the years the elder Potvin did analysis on the club's radio broadcasts. He also was active in many charities and did major work for the Catholic Diocese in Brooklyn.
"Jean was so kind to the Torrey family after my father (Bill) died," Rich Torrey recalled. "He talked to me and my brother, Willie, for over an hour, recalling tales of those terrific years together. Potsy was a wonderful person."
Always, however, Johnny was good for a laugh. "It was an immediate party the minute he'd walk in a room," said Denis.
The same was true when he'd enter the Isles clubhouse and, sometimes even during a scrimmage. Captain Eddie Westfall told a favorite Johnny Potvin story:
"We were involved in a very close game when the other team broke out on a three on one break. Jean was the only defenseman we had back to stop them. Jean started backpedalling and just as he reached our blue line, he unexpectedly fell down.
"Nobody hit him or anything. He just fell and the guy with the puck went right past him and scored easily.
"Fortunately we went on to win the game so it took the heat off Potsy. But nobody forgot about the incident, including Al Arbour. The next day while we were having a practice, Al stopped everything and went over to Jean. "For crying out loud, Potsy, what the hell happened to you?' Did you trip on the blue line last night?"
With that, Jean came out with the answer. 'You won't believe it, Al;" he said, "But there's a pygmy up there in the stands with a blow gun and he got me dead on.' That's what it was. It must have been; what else could it be?' It was a pygmy with a blow gun.' I often asked myself how a hockey player could come up with such a creative alibi such as that but Potsy did it and for years after every time a player would fall down on his own under the same circumstances or anything close, we always called it 'The Pygmy with the blowgun.'"
For all the best and right reasons we will miss Jean Potvin deeply.
Very deeply. R.I.P. Johnny.