What is the first name of hockey's Potvin?

Hockey’s Potvin is Denis Potvin. The Canadian defenceman became one of the defining players in New York Islanders history and was the first overall selection in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft.

Potvin spent his entire NHL career with the Islanders, serving as team captain and helping lead them to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1980 through 1983. He was an elite two-way defenceman: productive as a scorer, trusted in all situations, and known for helping transform the Islanders from an expansion team into a champion.

He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy three times as the NHL’s best defenceman and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991. Potvin retired after the 1987–88 season, having set major scoring records for defencemen at the time.

The question can cause confusion because Potvin had hockey-playing relatives, including his brother Jean Potvin and cousin Marc Potvin. However, the famous NHL Islanders captain referenced by “hockey’s Potvin” is Denis.