FOX Sports Florida, the regional television network for the Florida Panthers, has announced that former Panthers color analyst Denis Potvin is returning to Florida to join play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein in the upcoming 2014-2015 season. Potvin previously held the role as color analyst for the Panthers from 1993-2009 before being fired by former Panthers CEO & President Michael Yormark to save team finances. Potvin then became the color analyst for the past four seasons in Ottawa for the Senators.
He will bring Panthers fans back his veteran hockey knowledge that many are quite excited about. Most of them were not satisfied when Potvin was let go in his last stint in Florida after being with the team since their inaugural season. A well-known name in any major hockey fan's household, he has no shortage of experience when it comes to the NHL. Potvin is a four-time Stanley Cup winner with the New York Islanders, a three-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy for top defenseman in the league, and a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.
Potvin will replace another overall fan favorite, Bill Lindsay, whom will remain with the FOX Sports Florida broadcast team in a new role as a color analyst with host Drew Goldfarb for Panthers Live! pregame reports, intermission segments, and postgame reports. Lindsay will also become a second analyst in a new role on the network that will have him broadcast from in between both team benches.
The Panthers Front Office is quite content with the decision as well. Florida Panthers CEO & President Rory Babich states "We are pleased to welcome Denis back to the broadcast booth for the Florida Panthers. With an exciting season on the ice right around the corner, the addition of Denis, a hockey legend with long-term ties to the organization, to the existing broadcast team of Steve, Billy and Drew promises to provide an enhanced experience for our TV viewers with one of the premier broadcast teams in the NHL."
FOX Sports Florida Executive Producer Brett Opdyke said "This was a great opportunity to expand and bolster our Panthers broadcast team by bringing in Denis, an NHL Hall of Famer and a veteran broadcaster with intimate knowledge of Florida Panthers Hockey and the team's history in South Florida. It also allows us to showcase Bill's analyst skills on our Panthers LIVE! shows, and gives our broadcasts the added bonus of a second analyst "between the benches" on marquee games."
Potvin's will start his new role on FOX Sports Florida on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 when the Panthers start their season in Tampa against the Lightning in the 2014-15 season opener.