At the start of the 1986-87 season, New York Islanders defenseman Denis Potvin was already the highest-scoring defenseman in NHL history. He achieved that on December 20th, 1985 thanks to a wicked slap shot from Mike Bossy that beat New York Rangers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck. Potvin got the assist on Bossy's goal to pass Bobby Orr with 916 career points.
But entering the 1986-87 season, Potvin, then 33 years old, could hit a new height for defensemen. He could hit 1,000 points. By the start of the 1986-87 season, 20 forwards in NHL history had hit 1,000 or more points, but not a single defenseman had yet to achieve it.