Potvin's Overlooked Greatness & Who Invented Hockey
Welcome to the THW Hockey History Substack newsletter, with all the best from our extensive archives.
In today’s edition, we have a few “Today in Hockey History” posts, who invented hockey, Denis Potvin’s overlooked greatness, the Sabres’ decade of disappointment, cool things about Dave Semenko, and more.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Today in Hockey History: Oct. 30
One of the greatest lines in NHL history was put together for the first time on this date. Also, one of Montreal’s biggest legends hits two personal milestones, 12 years apart, and perhaps hockey’s most famous family set a league record. It’s time for our daily look back at all the top moments in hockey history.
Islanders’ Denis Potvin: Overlooked Greatness
by Nathaniel Oliver
Today’s NHL fan does not recognize how masterful of a defender Denis Potvin was when he played. A 1991 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Vanier, Ontario native was the top overall selection in the 1973 NHL Draft. Potvin would go on to play 15 seasons in the league – all for the New York Islanders.
A closer look though at his career shows that Potvin was a pioneer of sorts for high-scoring defensemen. As great as the other aforementioned players proved to be, it was the Islanders’ cornerstone who became an achiever of multiple important firsts.
Who Invented Hockey?
by Andrew Forbes
Today, it’s known as Canada’s game. Even with stiff competition at the international level, Canadians still claim that ice hockey is a product of their country. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if researchers have been able to provide evidence to the contrary?
Some might argue that the findings are controversial, a stretch to find some kind of precursor to Canada’s first claim to the game. However, with a number of people wondering where hockey began, evidence points to the United Kingdom as the home to the earliest roots of hockey.
Today in Hockey History: Oct. 29
Some of the most legendary players in NHL history added to their resumes on this date. Detroit and Montreal proved why they are two of the game’s most historic cities on Oct. 29, while fans in Pittsburgh got to witness greatness on multiple occasions. The THW time machine is fueled up and ready to take us back through the years to revisit all the great moments from this date.
9 Cool Things About Dave Semenko: Edmonton Oilers’ Enforcer
by The Old Prof
Dave Semenko was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a left-winger in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for two seasons and the NHL for 10 seasons. In total, he played 12 seasons in the highest professional hockey leagues in the world.
Semenko was best known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers, where he played alongside Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and many other skilled Oilers. He was also a key member of the Oilers’ Stanley Cup-winning teams.
In this post, I want to share nine cool things about the beloved Oilers’ enforcer.
Buffalo Sabres’ Decade of Disappointment
by Jacob D. Strozyk
It is the same story, but a different year when it comes to describing the Buffalo Sabres. The team has not qualified for the playoffs since the 2010-11 season, and they are poised to miss again. When this streak started, Jason Pominville was still months away from being named the 13th captain in franchise history. Ville Leino had yet to sign with the team after a 53-point season with the Philadelphia Flyers. This decade that has been full of disappointment and misery is the opposite of what happened in the preview 10-year span, which saw the Sabres make the Eastern Conference Final twice.
Going through what has gone wrong these past 11 years, the storylines that emerged as the seasons progressed, and how the team failed to improve over that span shows the legacy of failure that will haunt this franchise for the rest of its existence.
Today in Hockey History: Oct. 28
This date in NHL history has had some great moments on both the East and West Coasts and a lot of places in between. Some of the most notable players to ever play in the league had big memories on Oct. 28 throughout the decades. So, let’s take our daily journey back in time to relive them all!