In 1990-91, Potvin finally turned pro in the Red Wings' chain with Adirondack of the AHL. From the moment that the first puck was dropped, the sturdy winger transformed himself from a college boy to the fisticuffs king of the American League. By the time he left to join the Red Wings for a handful of games near the end of the season, he'd amassed a league leading 365 penalty minutes.

His next two years of professional hockey served to confirm that Potvin wasn't going to catch on in the Motor City as an enforcer. The Wings already had the much-feared Bob Probert on hand. So Potvin bided his time in Adirondack until he was picked up by the L.A. Kings in 1993.

On the West Coast, he faired only marginally better than in Detroit. He got very little ice time and much of that was spent in the penalty box. As such, the Kings traded him to Hartford late in 1993. With the Whalers, Potvin lasted for only 51 games while scoring five points and racking up a whopping 246 penalty minutes. He was released by the club at the end of the campaign.

In 1994, he signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins where he picked up a handful of games over two seasons. Otherwise, he spent the majority of his time with the Providence Reds of the AHL.

In 1996-97, he hooked up with the Portland Pirates for one season before joining the Chicago Wolves of the IHL for his final campaign of pro hockey. After retiring from the game in 1998, Potvin went on to coach in the AHL and UHL.

On January 13, 2006 Marc Potvin was found dead in his Kalamazoo hotel room.

Courtesy of Hockey Hall of Fame