A season-high crowd of 3,851 paid its respects during the ceremonies held prior to the game on January 20, 2006. Potvin had also been coach of the ECHL Mississippi Sea Wolves, who, while closed for hurricane repairs to their facilities, also marked Potvin’s passing.
Potvin’s mother, Maureen, along with his wife, Maria, and the couple’s children, Dianne, 9, and Justin, 4, took part.
A banner with his No. 25 Red Wing jersey was unveiled at center ice, with Frostbite players surrounding the circle, bringing the crowd to its feet in a standing ovation. His number has been retired, and the banner will remain on permanent display from the Glens Falls (N.Y.) Civic Center rafters.
“Remember that big smile of his, that bear hug he’d give you,” Melrose told the crowd on the night of his memorial. “Remember a guy who loved this town.”
Glens Falls in turn loved Potvin, which made his passing a community tragedy.
Marc played for three years with the AHL’s former Adirondack Red Wings and captained its 1992 Calder Cup championship squad.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario Potvin's hockey career began at Bowling Green State University, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship. He went on to play for numerous teams in the minor leagues and nine seasons in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, the Stanley Cup Runner-up Team in Los Angeles in 1993, Hartford and Boston.
He returned in 1998 as an assistant coach to Glens Falls, then was offered other coaching positions. He had been the coach of the ECHL Mississippi Sea Wolves, then went on an 18 month hiatus prior to taking over the Frostbite, then called the IceHawks, top job two years ago.
Frostbite owners and ESPN hosts Barry Melrose and Steve Levy bought the team to keep hockey in Glens Falls, Melrose’s hometown (See Man With The Golden Mullet). Melrose, a very demanding coach in his own right, brought in Potvin to coach the Frostbite after a 14-game winless streak following the tumultuous ownership change.
With 31 games left in the season, Potvin guided the Frostbite to a UHL Eastern Division title last year.
A veteran of minor league hockey, Potvin was a great coach and mentor. He made the Frostbite a club with a winning attitude that translated into victory both on the ice, and with the fans who returned to watch hockey in Glens Falls.
This year, the Frostbite got off to a 17-4 start, the best in Adirondack pro history and were in second place in their division at the time of his passing.
“We are dedicating the rest of this season to Marc Potvin, to make Potsie proud,” Frostbite co-owner Steve Levy said. “You don’t have to win it all ... That would be nice, but this is not a Hollywood movie. This is reality. Let’s just play Potsie’s way. As he would say: Family first and 60 minutes.”
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