Bruins land Potvin
Veteran goalie to vie for No. 1 job
He's a lot younger than Sean Burke and less expensive than Curtis Joseph, and the Bruins didn't have to give up anything to get him. In essence, that's why the Bruins elected to entrust netminding duties to 32-year-old Felix Potvin.
Potvin, an unrestricted free agent who signed a one-year contract yesterday, will vie for the No. 1 job with Steve Shields and Andrew Raycroft when training camp opens a week from today.
"There are probably five other scenarios with other teams and other goaltenders that we were kind of looking at," said general manager Mike O'Connell. "And we thought the deal we could make with Felix, compared to the deal we could make regarding other goaltenders and the compensation levels that they earned and the compensation that other teams were looking for, it made the most sense for us."
Potvin, along with his Los Angeles teammates, had a rough season last year because of injuries. He played 42 games and earned a 17-20-3 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and three shutouts. He suffered a sprained anterior cruciate ligament in his knee Jan. 28 at San Jose and missed the final 31 games. Potvin, who spends the offseason in Sherbrooke, Quebec, said he's completely healthy and ready to go.
"Ever since the end of the year last year, we've been doing some work on it," said Potvin. "I had a personal trainer. Ever since I've been on the ice, it's 100 percent. I was pretty anxious to test it and everything went great. [The Bruins] have a good team and it's just exciting to be a part of it. [In LA last year], I think it was frustrating for the whole team.
"Before I was injured we had tons of other injuries. I really enjoyed my time with the Kings. I had two good years when I was there and last year was a little bit unfortunate because I got injured and they went in another direction. But if I can play that kind of hockey that I did in LA, then things should be good. It's kind of nice to start over again this year."
Potvin is entering his 13th pro season and the Bruins are his fifth NHL team and second Original Six franchise. He started his career in Toronto, where he finished third for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 1992-93 and was fourth in the voting for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best netminder with a record of 25-15-7 and league-best 2.50 GAA in 48 games. The Maple Leafs went to the conference final with Pat Burns behind the bench, losing to the Wayne Gretzky-led Kings.
Potvin said the Bruins had been seeking a deal with him for the past couple of months.
"It's something we've been talking about for a while," said Potvin. "It just feels good right now. I'm going to be there from the start of training camp. There were a few teams in the process, but Boston has been the main team we've been talking to ever since the middle of the summer. It's pretty interesting. Boston is a good team and it's kind of a fun place. I played for an Original Six team when I was in Toronto, and they're fun hockey cities."
Potvin will make far less than the $3.5 million base salary he made last year but has the opportunity to recoup most of it with incentives. He said he's just eager for a fresh opportunity.
"[Jay Fee] told me they're good fans in Boston," said Potvin. "When you play good, you play good, and when you play bad, you know it. But that's all it is in any sports town. That's what makes the game fun. I don't look at it that I have to show I have something to prove. I think personally, I have a lot of pride and I want to do good. I want to win games. I want to help this team go far. You're getting older every year and you want to win games." . . .
O'Connell had no update regarding the status of restricted free agents Nick Boynton and Sergei Samsonov. O'Connell said he has been playing phone tag with Anton Thun, the agent for Boynton, and has yet to hear back on a counterproposal from Samsonov's representative -- attorney Neil Abbott.
