After just his second season playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate Marlies, goaltender Antoine Bibeau is paying tribute to a former Leaf backstop. A Quebec native, Bibeau’s new mask dons a painting of fellow French Canadian – Felix Potvin.
@BibeauAntoine01 #ccmhockey #newhockeymaskpainting #felixpotvin #designsylviepoitras #airbrushzap pic.twitter.com/0KdfyNqh5a
— sylvie poitras (@zonorange) August 10, 2016
Potvin was a member of the Maple Leafs from 1991 to 1999 played 369 regular season games for Toronto over eight seasons. He sported a record of 160-149-49 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.87 goals against average to go along with 12 shutouts.
He saw 52 playoff games in blue and white with a 2.83 goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
Originally a second round pick (31st overall) of the Maple Leafs in 1990, he may be most remembered for his altercation with Ron Hextall. Known to many as ‘The Cat,’ Potvin left a lasting impression on a team that was looking for some kind of playoff success in the 1990s.
Bibeau has played 71 games over the past two seasons for the Marlies. Last season he recorded a 2.70 goals against average and a .909 save percentage in 40 games for the Marlies while posting a 28-9-1 record. He added a 6-5 playoff record with a 2.73 goals against and .900 save percentage before the Marlies’ playoff run came to a disappointing end.
At six-foot-two and 210 pounds, Bibeau is just slightly bigger than Potvin was during his playing days. Regardless of how similar they are, however, it’s quite the honour for Potvin for him to be enshrined on the 22-year-old’s mask for the upcoming season.
