Bryan Trottier

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Position	Center
Shot	Left
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 195 lb (88 kg/13 st 13 lb)
Pro clubs	New York Islanders Pittsburgh Penguins
Nationality	Canada &  United States
Born	July 17, 1956 (1956-07-17) (age 52), Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada
NHL Draft	Rnd 2, 22nd overall, 1974 New York Islanders
Pro career	1975 – 1994
Hall of Fame, 1997

Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956, in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada)^[1] is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won four Stanley Cup rings with the Islanders, two with the Penguins and one as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche.

[edit] Playing career

Nicknamed "Trots", he was drafted in 2nd Round, 22nd overall by the New York Islanders in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft. Trottier played his first fifteen seasons in the NHL with the Islanders.^[2] He won the Calder Trophy as the league's Rookie of the year in 1975-76. Trottier was one of the core players on the Islanders dynasty teams from the 1980s. He won four Stanley Cups during his time with the Islanders 1980-83. During the Islanders' first Stanley Cup in 1979-80, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His best offensive season was 1978-79 when he had 134 points which earned him the Art Ross Trophy as well as the Hart Trophy as league MVP. In winning the Art Ross, he became the first player from a post-Original Six expansion team to win the award. In that same season, he led the NHL in assists with 87, something he did the year before as well with 77 assists.

Despite Wayne Gretzky's dominance and scoring records, Trottier was still universally regarded as the game's best all-around player in the early 1980s combining potent offense, rock-solid defense, and expert play on special teams. During that period, Stan Fischler and Al Arbour said that Trottier was the best player over Gretzky.^[3] Trottier was often referred to as the "glue" on the Isles team, centering his fellow stars Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies, Bob Nystrom, and Mike Bossy.

Undaunted by heavy criticism from fellow Canadians, Trottier chose to play for Team USA in the 1984 Canada Cup tournament, after playing for Team Canada in 1981, because he wanted to pay back the country in which he lived and because his wife was American. He was able to obtain the necessary U.S. citizenship in July 1984 because he had Métis ancestry on his father's side (Cree/Chippewa). His North American Indian Card (for which he qualified because his grandmother was a Chippewa) entitled him to citizenship in both the U.S. and Canada, as well as a U.S. passport, which was all he needed for tournament eligibility.

Unlike other star centerman, longevity was not Trottier's hallmark. Following his 13th season, Trottier's skills seemed to deteriorate precipitously, decreasing from 82 points in 1988 to 45 points just one year later, and 24 points in 1990. After that low output, Islanders management released Trottier from his contract, believing that his best years were behind him and that younger centers such as Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter should get his ice time. He ranks second in Islanders history in goals, and first in assists and points.

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed him as a free agent to provide experience and leadership to a young team. Trottier won the Stanley Cup for the fifth and sixth times with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992. He decided to take the 1992-93 season off, returning to the Isles in a front office capacity, but financial troubles, stemming from bad investments, forced Trottier to return to the ice for the 1993-94 season. He retired again following a disappointing final season where he scored only 4 goals in 41 games. At the time of his retirement, his point total ranked 6th in NHL history.

[edit] Post-retirement

Trottier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1997.^[4]

After many of his Islander teammates, including linemates Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies were honored by the Islander organization by having their numbers retired, Trottier was expected to be next, but he became the topic of controversy. Trottier insisted on significant financial compensation for his appearance to retire his number 19, delaying the ceremonies for years, as he was still reeling from his financial difficulties. His number was finally raised to the rafters on October 20, 2001.

After serving as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh until 1997, he took a similar position with the Colorado Avalanche, where he garnered his seventh career Stanley Cup ring in 2001. He was named as head coach of the New York Rangers in 2002, much to the ire of Islander fans. However, his stint there was short and dismal. In addition to receiving criticism from Isles fans who labeled him a traitor, he drew the rage of Ranger fans as well, who felt he misused his offensively gifted players such as Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure by having them play the neutral-zone trap (a defensive tactic used to slow down the opponent, but also limiting the user's offensive chances). Trottier was fired by manager Glen Sather after just half a season with the Rangers.

On March 4, 2006, the New York Islanders celebrated the 26th anniversary of their first Stanley Cup championship. Trottier, apparently forgiven for his stint with the rival Rangers, was given one of the largest ovations of the evening, and was perhaps the most boisterous. He gave a familiar salute to the fans who lined up to watch a pregame "Walk of Champions" entering the building, raising both hands high above his head, reminiscent of his days playing on the Island where he would do the same to the fans cheering him on. On June 1, 2006 Trottier returned to the Islanders as Executive Director of Player Personnel.

Trottier is currently 14th all-time in regular season points, having been passed by Jaromír Jágr and Joe Sakic during the 2005-06 NHL season. He is 9th all-time in playoff points, and remains the Islanders all-time leader in assists and points. Trottier was named Islanders fans as the second greatest player in franchise history, ahead of Dennis Potvin and behind Mike Bossy.

[edit] Miscellanea

Steve Yzerman, who was also renowned for his strong two-way play, considered Trottier his favorite player.^[5] Both players wore uniform number 19 throughout their careers.

[edit] Coaching statistics

[edit] Career statistics

• *Stanley Cup Champion

[edit] Achievements

• 1975- WCJHL All-Star Team
• 1976- Calder Memorial Trophy
• 1976- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1978- NHL First All-Star Team
• 1978- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1979- NHL First All-Star Team
• 1979- NHL Plus/Minus Leader (Highest in NHL History)
• 1979- Art Ross Trophy
• 1979- Hart Trophy
• 1980- Conn Smythe Trophy
• 1980- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1982- NHL Second All-Star Team
• 1982- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1983- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1984- NHL Second All-Star Team
• 1985- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1986- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1988- Bud Man of the Year Award
• 1989- King Clancy Memorial Trophy
• 1992- Played in NHL All-Star Game
• 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 - with Islanders- Stanley Cup Winner
• 1991, 1992 with Peguins, 2001(as an Ass't Coach)with Avalanche- Stanley Cup Winner
• In 1998, he was ranked number 30 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

[edit] See also

• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of retired NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of players with 5 or more goals in an NHL game
• List of NHL players with 1000 points
• List of NHL players with 500 goals
• List of NHL players with 1000 games played

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Bryan Trottier's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Bryan Trottier's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database