Potvin vs Bourque: who would you rather have on the power play?

[overpass]

Are there home and road splits of this available? Maybe I'm dumb but when I select one or the other I get nothing back on your link.

I'd be curious about that for the obvious reason.

I had a filter on for minimum 1000 GP that would filter out all teams when home/road is selected.

Home (64 SHGA for Boston)

NHL Stats

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Road (75 SHGA for Boston)

NHL Stats

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[BraveCanadian]

I had a filter on for minimum 1000 GP that would filter out all teams when home/road is selected.

Home (64 SHGA for Boston)

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Road (75 SHGA for Boston)

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Duh, I should have thought of that!

Interesting that Boston has a solid advantage at home, which we see in many defensive stats during the time of the Garden, but equals the .378 Maple Leafs during this time on the road.. not sure what to make of that!

 

[reckoning]

There has never been a D to control the blue line better than Denis Potvin

I've been watching a lot of Islander games from their dynasty years lately, and that's the one thing about Potvin that stands out. He never lets the puck get past him when he's on the blue line on the PP. He's probably the best ever at that aspect of the game.

And yes, Mike Bossy was a great goal scorer, but the Islanders had one of the leagues best power-plays before he arrived. In 75-76 they were first overall at 31.7%. No Bossy, no Tonelli, Trottier and Gillies were just rookies. Potvin was the main reason.

Having said that though, I'm not taking a side here. I have lots of respect and admiration for Ray Bourque.

 

[Mike C]

I've been watching a lot of Islander games from their dynasty years lately, and that's the one thing about Potvin that stands out. He never lets the puck get past him when he's on the blue line on the PP. He's probably the best ever at that aspect of the game.

And yes, Mike Bossy was a great goal scorer, but the Islanders had one of the leagues best power-plays before he arrived. In 75-76 they were first overall at 31.7%. No Bossy, no Tonelli, Trottier and Gillies were just rookies. Potvin was the main reason.

Having said that though, I'm not taking a side here. I have lots of respect and admiration for Ray Bourque.

Uncanny how he kept that puck in the zone. He knew where to be and used his body better than anyone I've ever seen.

Coffey was the closest but I'm in total agreement with you

 

[MadLuke]

Are there home and road splits of this available? Maybe I'm dumb but when I select one or the other I get nothing back on your link.

I'd be curious about that for the obvious reason.

You need to change the minimum game played filter (at 1,000), with 500:

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

NHL Stats

The official source for NHL Stats including skaters, goalies, teams stats and more.

www.nhl.com

Bruins goal against on the PP
Road: 75 tie at #1 with the leafs, Oilers at 95 second best
home: 64 (#1 in the league) second Islanders at 76

Well, the thread has convinced me. When it comes to Potvin vs Bourque on the powerplay, I guess I just have to go with Bossy.

Also lets focus at what they did late on their career, career total and diminish on of the two because of what they did after turning 25 in a subject that explicitly say: Both are at their playing best. In the first sentence.

 

[Vilica]

Are there home and road splits of this available? Maybe I'm dumb but when I select one or the other I get nothing back on your link.

I'd be curious about that for the obvious reason.

That's because there was a minimum 1k games filter on to edit out the expansion teams, and nobody played that many (it was 833 games). Lose that and you see Boston had 64 home SHGA, next closest NYI at 76, and 75 away SHGA, tied with Toronto of all teams and 20 ahead of Edmonton at 95 next closest.

Edit oops should've hit the next page before replying. To answer the question, I'd take Bourque over Potvin because of the teammate factors.

 

[The Panther]

Uncanny how he kept that puck in the zone. He knew where to be and used his body better than anyone I've ever seen.

Coffey was the closest but I'm in total agreement with you

Let's not forget Larry Murphy!

 

[VanIslander]

Bowman has said Bourque is Howe on the blueline.

Bowman tried twice to trade for him but Boston refused. I was livid (but as a teenager in a way pre-Internet era wtf could i do?).

Bowman left Buffalo, won in Pittsburgh and stopped all convo about Raymond (hurt feelings?). Stevie Y is his grandson, it sure seems. Raymond, who?

 

[quietbruinfan]

Bowman has said Bourque is Howe on the blueline.

Bowman tried twice to trade for him but Boston refused. I was livid (but as a teenager in a way pre-Internet era wtf could i do?).

Bowman left Buffalo, won in Pittsburgh and stopped all convo about Raymond (hurt feelings?). Stevie Y is his grandson, it sure seems. Raymond, who?

A representative for the Pacific trading card company once had a funny conversation with Bowman about Raymond: To paraphrase: Rep: I am not sure our consumers will even know who Bourque is. sic Bowman: [He was]"Only the best defenseman in the league for the last five years."

 

[VanIslander]

Howe said Bourque was every one (defenseman) "rolled into one".

 

[gary69]

It was a high-scoring, expansion season, so special in that sense, but I remember Bruins power play being very dominating that regular season. Very impressive especially considering Neely only played about dozen games. Oates scored a lot on PP, after that they had Juneau and Kvartalnov pointwise. I remember crediting a lot of that to Bourque, who held the line remarkably well and Boston got off a huge number of shots during PPs. Most shots in the league.

There were better PP teams in number of PP goals and %-wise, but had Neely been healthy, I'm sure Boston would have been the best.

Bouqrue generally didn't have the teammates at the same level that Potvin had on the PP. If he did, he would have similar/better stats.

 

[quietbruinfan]

Just want to add that Bourque was unequivocally the best I ever saw at keeping the puck in the zone on the PP. Potvin, Park Murphy or Salming were great at it,but not as good. Bourque's ability to control pucks was uncanny. I did not see Bruin Orr, but from all those highlights not even he was not as good at it.

 

[Staniowski]

Potvin was the better player and better on the PP. Most notably, he was more creative.

Bourque was excellent too.

 

[VanIslander]

Bourque has easily by 100s the most shots ever in hockey history.

Ovechkin is the closest 2nd and Jagr trails 3rd by a lot.

We know OV as a triggerman but Bourque was THE SHOT from the point during an era when only MacInnis occasionally challenged him, Chelios too, but their peak you can count on your fingers, his you can't.

 

[FerrisRox]

Jean Potvin had a season of 46 power play points for the Islanders as well. Denis had 54 power play points that same season.

It's worth noting that in no other season to Denis ever have more than the 46 his brother posted that year.

Jean, meanwhile, dipped to just 15 power play points the next season and was never really a power play threat again.

 

[quietbruinfan]

Jean Potvin had a season of 46 power play points for the Islanders as well. Denis had 54 power play points that same season.

It's worth noting that in no other season to Denis ever have more than the 46 his brother posted that year.

Jean, meanwhile, dipped to just 15 power play points the next season and was never really a power play threat again.

Jean could move the puck but that was probably the biggest outlier/anomaly season ever, and speaks to chemistry and Denis' talent....duh lol

 

[LightningStorm]

Close but I'd go with Potvin due with his wrist shot being the difference.

For all defensemen excluding Orr, I thought Potvin had the best peak and Bourque the best career.