Felix Potvin is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the NHL from 1991 to 2004. He was born on June 23, 1971, in Anjou, Quebec, Canada.
Potvin was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (31st overall) of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft and began his NHL career in the 1991-92 season. He played with the team until the 1998-99 season. He also played for several other NHL teams, including the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, and Boston Bruins.
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That said, Potvin is best known for his time in Toronto. He played a key role in the team’s success in the early 1990s. Throughout his NHL career, he played in 635 games, had a record of 266-260-85, a goals-against-average (GAA) of 2.76, and a save percentage (SV%) of .905.
Potvin is one of the most-loved players in Maple Leafs history. In this post, I’ll share what I believe are seven cool things about him.
Cool Thing #1: Potvin Was a Great Goalie Right From the Start of His Career
Potvin had a fantastic rookie season with the Maple Leafs in 1992-93, leading the team to the conference finals and coming in third place in voting for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie. That season, the Calder was won by the great Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg Jets) with Joe Juneau (Boston Bruins) coming in second.
Related: Maple Leafs Fans Continuing Love Affair with Felix Potvin
By the way, Potvin played so well in his rookie season that Toronto traded away Grant Fuhr to give him the starting job.
Cool Thing #2: Potvin Was a Great Goalie on a Poor Team
Overall, Potvin’s rookie season with the Maple Leafs was a strong start to a successful NHL career. His impact right off the bat was remarkable. In 1991-92, the Maple Leafs were coached by Tom Watt and captained by Wendel Clark. They put up a record of 30-43-7 (for 67 points). They finished fifth in the NHL’s Norris Division.
However, in Potvin’s first full season as a starting goaltender, he helped the team to improve its record significantly, going from 30 wins in the previous season to a record of 44-29-11 in 1992-93. His own record was 25-15-7 (with a 2.50 GAA and a .910 SV%).
However, Potvin might not have been the only reason the team finished so well. They also had a new coach named Pat Burns. The Maple Leafs…
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