Bryan Trottier

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Bryan John Trottier (born - July 17, 1956, in Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada) 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.

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[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. 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 1980's. He won four Stanley Cups during his time with the Islanders, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, and 1982-83. 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 1980's combining potent offense, rock-solid defense, and expert play on special teams. 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. Steve Yzerman, who was also renowned for his strong two-way play, considered Trottier his favorite player.[1] 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. The long run of success of the Islanders playoff runs seemed to have caught up with Trottier.

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 (which he qualified for 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.

In 1990, the Islanders believed that Trottier's best years were behind him and that younger centers such as Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter should get his ice time. The Islanders released Trottier from his contract. 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 then briefly retired, 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. Trottier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1997.

[edit] Post-retirement

Trottier again became a topic of controversy 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, still reeling from his financial difficulties, wanted significant financial compensation for his appearance to retire his number 19, delaying the ceremonies for years. 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 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 Jaromir Jagr 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.

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1972-73 Swift Current Broncos WCJHL 67 16 29 45 10 -- -- -- -- --
1973-74 Swift Current Broncos WCJHL 68 41 71 112 76 13 7 8 15 8
1974-75 Swift Current Broncos WCJHL 67 46 98 144 103 6 2 5 7 14
1975-76 New York Islanders NHL 80 32 63 95 21 13 1 7 8 8
1976-77 New York Islanders NHL 76 30 42 72 34 12 2 8 10 2
1977-78 New York Islanders NHL 77 46 77 123 46 7 0 3 3 4
1978-79 New York Islanders NHL 76 47 87 134 50 10 2 4 6 13
1979-80 New York Islanders NHL 78 42 62 104 68 21 12 17 29 16
1980-81 New York Islanders NHL 73 31 72 103 74 18 11 18 29 34
1981-82 New York Islanders NHL 80 50 79 129 88 19 6 23 29 40
1982-83 New York Islanders NHL 80 34 55 89 68 17 8 12 20 18
1983-84 New York Islanders NHL 68 40 71 111 59 21 8 6 14 49
1984-85 New York Islanders NHL 68 28 31 59 47 10 4 2 6 8
1985-86 New York Islanders NHL 78 37 59 96 72 3 1 1 2 2
1986-87 New York Islanders NHL 80 23 64 87 50 14 8 5 13 12
1987-88 New York Islanders NHL 77 30 52 82 48 6 0 0 0 10
1988-89 New York Islanders NHL 73 17 28 45 44 -- -- -- -- --
1989-90 New York Islanders NHL 59 13 11 24 29 4 1 0 1 4
1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 52 9 19 28 24 23 3 4 7 49
1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 63 11 18 29 54 21 4 3 7 8
1993-94 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 41 4 11 15 36 2 0 0 0 0
WCJHL Totals 202 103 198 301 189 19 9 13 22 22
NHL Totals 1279 524 901 1425 912 221 71 113 184 277

[edit] Achievements

[edit] See also

Preceded by
Bob Gainey		 Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy
1980		 Succeeded by
Butch Goring
Preceded by
Guy Lafleur		 Winner of the Hart Trophy
1979		 Succeeded by
Wayne Gretzky
Preceded by
Guy Lafleur		 Winner of the Art Ross Trophy
1979		 Succeeded by
Marcel Dionne
Preceded by
Eric Vail		 Winner of the Calder Trophy
1976		 Succeeded by
Willi Plett
Preceded by
Lanny McDonald		 Winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy
1989		 Succeeded by
Kevin Lowe
New York Rangers Head Coaches
Patrick • Boucher • L. Patrick • Colville • Cook • M. Patrick • Watson • Pike • Harvey • Sullivan • Francis • Geoffrion • Popein • Stewart • Ferguson • Talbot • Shero • C. Patrick • Brooks • Sator • Webster • Esposito • Bergeron • Neilson • Smith • Keenan • Campbell • Muckler • Tortorella • Low • Trottier • Sather • Renney
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