Marc Potvin (January 29, 1967 – January 13, 2006) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player who played 121 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) between 1990 and 1996. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1990 to 1998, was mainly spent in the minor

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL). After his playing career Potvin became a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

in the minor leagues, until his suicide in 2006. He was the cousin of

Denis Potvin Denis Charles Potvin (born October 29, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and Captain (ice hockey), team captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a four-time Stanley Cup winner as a ...

and Jean Potvin.

Playing career

Born in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Potvin, second cousin of Hall of Famer

, was selected by the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

in the ninth round, 169th overall, in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. During his career, he played for four different NHL teams: the Red Wings ( 1990–91 to 1991–92),

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

( 1992–93 to 1993–94),

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its 25-year existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1 ...

(1993–94), and

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

( 1994–95 to 1995–96). In 121 NHL games, he scored 3 goals and had 5 assists for 8 points. He also amassed 456 penalty minutes. In 13 NHL playoff games, he scored no goals, had one assist and 50 penalty minutes.

Coaching career

For the 1998–99 season, Potvin was the assistant coach for the

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Nati ...

of the

. The next season, he made the jump to head coach for the

Mississippi Sea Wolves The Mississippi Sea Wolves were a professional hockey team based in Biloxi, Mississippi, and played in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The Sea Wolves were members of the ECHL. The Sea Wolves were founded in 1996 and had considerable success ove ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. After only one season there, he became the head coach of the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Co ...

of the AHL, where he stayed for two seasons. Part way through the 2003–04 season, he took over the head coach position of the Adirondack IceHawks in the UHL. He would continue coaching the team (renamed the

Adirondack Frostbite The Adirondack Frostbite were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Glens Falls, New York, and were a member of the United Hockey League (UHL). They played their home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The Adirondack IceHawks UHL t ...

) in

Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls is a City (New York), city in Warren County, New York, Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls, New York metropolitan area, Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,83 ...

Death

On January 13, 2006, Potvin was found dead in his hotel room in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, hours before the Frostbite were to play the

Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...

. On February 10, Kalamazoo police announced that his death had been ruled a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

. It was discovered that he had hung himself in his hotel bathroom. He had a wife, a son, and a daughter.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Potvin, Marc 1967 births 2006 deaths 2006 suicides Adirondack Red Wings coaches Adirondack Red Wings players Boston Bruins players Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey players Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chicago Wolves (IHL) players Detroit Red Wings draft picks Detroit Red Wings players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Hartford Whalers players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Ice hockey people from Ottawa Los Angeles Kings players Portland Pirates players Providence Bruins players Springfield Falcons coaches Suicides by hanging in Michigan United Hockey League coaches