More On Potvin

Big kudos to my favorite source of inside information, George Richards, for posting his conversation On Frozen Pond. Please check out his blog for full comments.

It boils down to this; Team prez Michael Yormark says it was not a financial decision to let Potvin go. "The reality, based on financial relationship with Fox is there really is no difference whether we have three, five, one or 10 in the booth. It's not a financial decision." He goes on to say that he makes decisions that are in the best interest of the franchise, and this is one of them.
Really, Mr. President? I'm not an accountant. I don't pretend to understand all that goes into a franchise. But wouldn't the number of broadcasters affect the number of dollars needed to pay them? How is letting a broadcaster go bettering the franchise? Because he disagreed with people? He voiced his own opinion? "Something in the right
direction for the franchise" smells a lot like "guy who will do what I tell him to."

It seems like the main reason Potvin is moving on is that he does not live in south Florida during the offseason, and Yormark wants to use his on-air talent in his ad campaigns and team summer events. Potvin, who lives in Canada during the summer, wouldn't be available for team or charity outings. I guess Yormark just thinks that's more important then I do. And in the end, it's his team.

I am sure that Denis Potvin will be able to find work somewhere. He has been the Panthers TV color man for almost 16 years, and was a hall of fame player before that. Whether it's behind a desk at a national studio (TSN, CBC) or with another team, I wish him the best of luck. He'll be missed.