NY Islanders History: Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier take home hardware

Following the announcement of Anders Lee being named a finalist for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, we look back at some of the first NY Islanders hardware ever collected. Only six years into the organization's existence, two Islanders superstars were recognized for their efforts in the 1975-76 season. On June 7, 1976, Islanders defenseman Denis Potvin was awarded the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman, with Bryan Trottier taking home the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year.

Drafted first overall by the Islanders in 1973, Potvin won his first Norris Trophy after a streak of eight consecutive season's of Bobby Orr being named the NHL's top defenseman.

In just his third NHL season at 23 years old, Potvin put up the second best point total during his illustrious career, scoring 98 points (31 goals, 67 assists) in 80 games. Leading all defenseman in goals, assists, and points, Potvin finished just outside the top ten in league scoring, finishing eleventh.

While Potvin took home major hardware at season's end, he narrowly missed out on an even more prestigious award. Named as a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP, Potvin finished second to Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers.

On this day in 1976, Denis Potvin won the Norris Trophy, becoming the first person not named Bobby Orr to win the award in nearly a decade #Hockey365 #Isles pic.twitter.com/R2GLa6uNHB
— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) June 7, 2023

Selected in the second round of the 1974 NHL Draft, Trottier made his NHL debut in 1975. Leading all rookies in scoring, the future Hart Trophy winner finished twelfth in the league with 95 points (32 goals, 63 assists).

At the time, Trottier set the record for most points ever recorded by a rookie, breaking the previous mark set by Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings (77 points) four years earlier. While Trottier ran away with the award, Islanders goaltender Chico Resch finished second in voting.

Potvin and Trottier will forever be known as two of the core members of the Islanders dynasty years, with both players' numbers hanging from the rafters of UBS Arena. The two went on to fill their trophy cabinets in their prolific careers, with four Stanley Cup rings at the forefront.

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