Marc Potvin, former Falcons Coach, found dead

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Marc Potvin, a minor league hockey coach and former NHL player, was found dead in a hotel room Friday, hours before his team was to play. He was 38.

There was no evidence of foul play, said Lt. Michael Werkema of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. The coach's body was discovered in the morning, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Saturday.

Potvin coached the Adirondack Frostbite of the United Hockey League. Friday night's game between the Frostbite and the Kalamazoo Wings was postponed.

Potvin was a second cousin of NHL Hall of Famer Denis Potvin, a three-time Norris Trophy winner who led the New York Islanders to four Stanley Cups during the 1970s and '80s.

"Marc was not only a respected coach in this league but also a great friend to us all," Richard Brosal, the UHL's president and chief executive officer, said in a statement issued by the league.

Potvin played in the NHL for nine seasons, with Detroit, Los Angeles, Hartford and Boston and was a member of the Kings' 1993 Stanley Cup runner-up team. The right wing's last NHL season was in 1995-96 with the Bruins. He also coached and played in the American Hockey League.

Potvin was in his second full season as coach of the Frostbite, a team based in Glens Falls, N.Y. He took over midway through the 2003-04 season. The UHL franchise is co-owned by ESPN hockey analyst and former NHL player and coach Barry Melrose and ESPN broadcaster Steve Levy.

The Red Wings selected Potvin in the ninth round of the 1986 draft. Potvin played 121 games in the NHL but only 14 in his two seasons with the Red Wings. He played at Bowling Green State from 1986-90.

Potvin was born in Ottawa and lived in Glens Falls and in North Canton, Ohio, with his wife, Maria, and their two children.