Best NHL captain from each franchise: New York Islanders – Denis Potvin
To be in the city that never sleeps during the 80s was truly a sight to see thanks to the New York Islanders. It was during these prime dynasty years that captain Denis Potvin truly made a name for himself in the hockey world. Potvin led those red-hot Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup championships from 1979 – 1983.
Not only was Potvin a hard-hitting defenseman but was far ahead of his time when it came to strategy. He was the main catalyst as captain when it came to setting up plays to take advantage of mismatches on the ice. Potvin knew when to capitalize in power play situations and put his teammates in a position to succeed with his passing.
Super intelligent and ahead of his time, Potvin always knew how to make the most out of any given situation based on what opponents tried to do against his Islanders. Throughout the prime years of his career, he developed nicely into an all-around great leader that people grew to respect.
Once he officially retired from hockey back in 1988, Potvin enjoyed a brilliant career in broadcasting as many enjoyed his unique style of calling hockey games. It was weird and different, but Potvin was always enjoyable to watch both on the ice and in a broadcasting booth thanks to his legendary career.