New York Islanders Trading Card Wall Series: Denis Potvin
Can you believe that that jersey
had a different name than Potvin on it? So Ken Murray,
one of the original Islanders, came in the expansion draft and
he wore number five, but he was not there when I came to the team the
following year, which was 1973. Now, number five
didn’t mean anything to me. I was playing five years
junior hockey with the Ottawa 67’s. My number was seven. I like number seven. So I went to Peterborough in September
1973, the Islander training camp. I didn’t know anybody. I had never seen the Islanders
play, tell you, honestly. So when the trainer, Jim Pickard, said
what number would you like? I said, well Jim, number seven was kind
of, you know, my favorite number. And he didn’t say anything. So the next day when I show up, number
seven is in my stall. But there’s a note attached to the number
seven. Germain Gagnon was wearing number
seven for the Islanders. And again, I apologize. I just never really watched
the Islanders play. And he said, if you want number
seven it’ll cost you $500, and that was in 1973. And I just finished signing my contract
my first ever and I said, there’s no way I’m paying that. So when Jimmy Pickard came back,
I said, Jimmy, what are you doing? I mean, I’m not going to take
a number away from a veteran. So I said, what number is available? Okay. Single number, single digit. He said, well, I do have number five. No association with number five ever. Number seven was always the best. So I ended up getting the number
five. Remember Murray was not there in my first year. And so that stuck with me. In March of 1974, Germain Gagnon was traded. Jimmy Pickard, the equipment manager, came to me
he says, number seven’s available. I’m leading the team in scoring. I’m having a great rookie year
wearing number five. I think I’ll keep it.
Denis Potvin: Captaining the Legacy
As Denis Potvin stands before the Islanders trading card wall, the Hall of Fame defenseman is surrounded by decades of franchise history — and so much of it runs through him. His eyes settle on the familiar image: No. 5, full stride, captain’s “C” stitched proudly on his chest. Potvin recalled how he came to wear the number 5.
Potvin moves down the wall, pointing to the faces of his dynasty-era teammates — Bossy, Trottier, Gillies, Nystrom — names etched into the soul of the team. He recalls the long playoff battles, the four straight Stanley Cups, and the pressure of leading a group of warriors night in and night out.
To Potvin, the wall isn’t just a gallery of images — it’s a reflection of leadership, sacrifice, and the brotherhood that defined one of the greatest teams in NHL history. And as he stands among them once more, the pride in his voice says it all.
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