By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
Hockey goaltenders are unpredictable. One night, they look like the next big thing and the next, they can’t stop a beach ball. They could lock down a crease as a franchise cornerstone for a decade or bounce around a dozen different teams by the end of their career. The Boston Bruins are well-versed in the weird world of goalies; 112 different goaltenders have donned the Spoked B throughout the franchise’s 100-year history in the National Hockey League
Given the volatile nature of the position, few stayed in Boston for long; only 20 started 100 or more games with the Bruins. As a result, it’s easy to lose track of the name on the jersey when it seemingly changes every season, and their contributions only seem like a drop in the bucket of Bruins history. However, some goalies, like Felix Potvin, left a lasting impact in Boston that was more significant than their handful of starts.
Potvin was drafted 31st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1990 NHL Draft. He then played two seasons with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), winning 56 games. He returned to Chicoutimi for an additional season after being drafted, winning 33 games, posting six shutouts, earning QMJHL and Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Year honors, and being named Playoff MVP upon backstopping “The Sags” to the President’s Cup championship.
Potvin moved to the pro ranks the following season, starting 1991-92 with the St. John’s Maple Leafs in the American Hockey League. He made 34 appearances for the AHL club, earning Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year honors. His play earned his way up to Toronto for four games, making his NHL debut on November 11th, 1991. Potvin started the following season in St John’s but was promoted to Toronto after five games and never looked back.
After his full-time promotion, Potvin started 48 games for the Maple Leafs, recording 25 wins, posting a league-best 2.50 Goals Against Average and a second-best .910 Save Percentage. He also finished as a finalist for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. His exceptional play earned him the starting job, beating out five-time Stanley Cup champion Grant Fuhr. Potvin backstopped the Leafs to within a goal of the Stanley Cup Final but were eventually beaten in seven games by Wayne Gretzky and the LA Kings.
“Felix the Cat” held down the crease for Toronto for five full seasons, making another conference finals run in 1994, before his play began to decline as the team entered a rebuild. Potvin was dealt to the New York Islanders early in the 1998-99 season, having lost the starting job to new acquisition Curtis Joseph. His career entered a journeyman phase after the trade, as he would only appear in 33 games on Long Island before being dealt to Vancouver the following year and then to Los Angeles in early 2001, his fourth stop in three seasons.
Until landing in LA, Potvin struggled to regain his peak All-Star form from Toronto, but he made an immediate impact with the Kings. After arriving in late February, he started 23 games for LA, posting a 13-5-5 record with a .919 Save Percentage, 1.96 Goals Against, and five shutouts as the Kings snuck into the playoffs as the seventh-seed. Facing the second-seed, Hall of Fame-laden Detroit Red Wings in the first round, Potvin and the Kings shocked the hockey world by reeling off four straight wins to upset Detroit in six games. In the second round against the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, Potvin recorded back-to-back shutouts to force another game seven after LA fell 3-1 in the series. However, Colorado eventually overwhelmed the Kings to win the series and advance.
Potvin would retain the starting role in LA for two additional seasons, posting arguably his best campaign in 2001-02: 31 Wins, a .907 Save Percentage, 2.31 Goals Against, and six shutouts. The Kings met Colorado in the playoffs for the second consecutive year and forced another game seven after falling 3-1, but once again, they fell short of completing the upset. Potvin and the Kings parted ways after the 2002-03 season, as his numbers declined and LA missed the playoffs.
Late in the ‘03 offseason, Potvin signed a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins to compete with and mentor burgeoning prospect Andrew Raycroft for the starting role, which Raycroft ultimately won. Serving as the backup goaltender and under the eye of new Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa, Potvin’s performance rebounded from his final season in Los Angeles: recording a .903 Save Percentage, a 2.50 Goals Against, and posted four shutouts in 28 starts, all of which improved from the previous year. His 12 wins in those 28 starts were only five short, in 14 fewer games. Potvin would not play another game in the NHL after his season with Boston.
Potvin’s 28 appearances place him 48th all-time among Bruins goaltenders, but the butterfly effect from his tenure would be felt for years to come. Andrew Raycroft won the Calder Trophy for his performance that season, partially attributed to Potvin’s mentorship. The Bruins would eventually trade Raycroft to Potvin’s former Maple Leafs in exchange for a prospect who developed into one of the best goaltenders in franchise history: Tuukka Rask.
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