Session 2 Online Only is Now Open - Ends June 21st (Lots 44-95)

Lot #63:

Dennis Potvin Game Used Stick

Really nice example of Hall of Famer Denis Potvin's, game used stick. This Koho 221 has a really wide blade that you can see in the photos proper for a defenceman. There is some minor damage to the blade area where it connects to the shaft with a small crack that took this one out of play. The blade has been shaved down on the bottom for puck control and has a small crack where that extra work was done. The shaft shows several stick and puck marks and gouges, with the lower Koho accent tape having been torn on one side. This Custom pro has the Potvin name stamp just below where a black marker 5 is at the top of the stick. Typical Potvin butt end tape job with gauze tape covering up the black type used underneath. Denis used these type of stick in the early eighties while he was Captain of the New York Islanders. Choice stick for collectors of all types from this top defender of his time. Denis Potvin, born October 29, 1953 is a Canadian former professional   and  for the  of the . He is a four-time  winner as a member of the early 1980s New York Islanders. Potvin is also a three-time  winner as the NHL's top defenceman. He was elected to the  in 1991 and served as a  for ' television broadcasts on . Potvin is the former color commentator for the . In 2017, he was named one of the "" in history. Upon joining the Islanders, Potvin wanted to wear number 7 on his uniform but was forced to take number 5, as forward  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 . While he did not dominate the game in the same way as Orr, Potvin became an immediate star: He won the  as  in  and the  as league's top defenceman in  ending Orr's eight-year reign. At age 22, Potvin scored 31 goals and 98 points, the highest totals by a defenceman other than Orr. That year he finished second to  in the voting for the  as the NHL's most valuable player. In Potvin's best season, 1978–79, the talented but young Islanders ultimately lost in semi-finals of the  to the  in six games, despite being heavily favoured to win the series.  stepped down as captain during the off-season and Potvin became the team's third captain, a position he held until relinquishing it in 1987. In , Potvin's first year as captain, the Islanders won their first of four . Potvin was a key part of the Islanders during the team's early 1980s glory years: in addition to the four consecutive Stanley Cup championships and five straight finals appearances, in the eight seasons he served as captain, the Islanders never failed to reach the . Potvin was very productive offensively in the playoffs, with his best year being 1980–81 when he scored 8 goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 18 games. However, he was never able to win the  as the playoff's most valuable player. In the 1983–84 season, Potvin made a comeback of sorts, scoring 85 points and making the NHL's second all-star team.