People today have no idea how intimidating Potvin was defensively. He crushed people. Always have believed no D man could change a game like he could at both ends. His offensive and defensive combination was truly unique.

but Potvin did whatever he could do to win.

Orr was a bit of a hot dog out there.

Orr was truly revolutionary on offense, but he was not nearly the intimidating factor Potvin was on defense. I saw Potvin stretcherize two different players with legal hits. At the end of the day, you are a DEFENSEman, and I will take Potvins overall contribution at both ends any day. His whole game was superior IMO.

…..Denis was a VERY big part of why I completely walked away from the Bruins in the fall of ‘75 after having been a diehard Orr and, to a lesser extent, B’s fan for 5 years (much of the Orr fan club stuff long gone) I still consider him to be one of my childhood heroes and, physical contrasts aside, there are some ways I identified with him off the ice – and his b-day was only 3 before mine (well, and 9 years)…..

Met both of them (Orr with Mike Walton in 1972, Potvin with his daughter Madeleine at an old-timer’s game in 1993 (?) and Bobby was a lot friendlier, but Denis still cordial, probably a little rattled by my putting an arm around him for the picture I got – with Maddy in it too (sometimes, of course, he could be very glib, as is well-known…..) still have a large file of Potvin articles and periodical photos from 1975-1990, probably around 100 items in total, as well as all the Hockey News, Hockey Digest, Hockey World, Sports Illustrated, Goal covers (only 1 of those, actually, that the Eighties cover story – have seen one from his rookie season with Jean that I wanted to nab…..) To this day I wish McFarlane had issued a figure for Denis as well as Bossy, but the whole Orr comparison probably made that unlikely.