By winning the Calder Trophy in 1974 and the Norris in 1976, Denis Potvin had already established himself as one of the best defensemen in the NHL. That was the good news. The bad news was that his mouth...separated him from many of his peers and even his own teammates.
But by beginning his journey as a businessman, taking a more team-oriented approach to hockey and opening himself up emotionally to his colleagues, Potvin - still just 24-years-old - was able to unburden himself from pressure and expectations. In a season in which the Islanders started out sloppy and ended up with their first division championship, Potvin was a rock of consistency.
There's an argument that even with a Calder and three Norris Trophies (the last of which we'll examine in our next episode) that he might have still been underrated then and now.
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