Bryan Trottier

At 68 years old, Bryan Trottier has this physical status:

Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.

He won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders, two with the Penguins and one as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche.

He holds the NHL record for points in a single period with six (four goals and two assists) in the second period against the Rangers on December 23, 1978.

He is also one of only eight NHL players with multiple five-goal games.

On August 4, 2014, Trottier was announced as an assistant coach for the Buffalo Sabres.

In 2017 Trottier was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Early life

Trottier grew up in the town of Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada, located between Swift Current and the Montana border with his parents and four siblings. His father is of Cree Métis descent, and his mother is of Irish origin. Growing up in the 1960s, Trottier wanted to be like his idol Jean Béliveau. When he was learning to skate, his father would clear out the dam on the creek across their home with a machete, to create a surface to practice on.

As a child, Trottier played for the Climax Hockey Team in Climax, Saskatchewan and for the Swift Current Broncos as a junior.

Trottier has one older sister, Carol, and three younger siblings, Kathy, Monty and Rocky. Monty played professional minor league hockey, and Rocky played in 38 games for the New Jersey Devils.

Personal life

Trottier has four children: Bryan Jr., Lindsey, Tayler and Christian.

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Playing career

Trottier claims he would have dropped out of hockey due to homesickness without his buddy Tiger Williams. Trottier and Tiger became their best friends as a result of their unique friendship early on in their careers/academy.

Trottier was drafted in the second round, 22nd overall by the New York Islanders in the 1974 NHL Entry Draft, the team he competed with for his first 15 seasons in the NHL. In 1975-76, he set a record of 95 points and lifted the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, although Peter astn of the Quebec Nordiques tied the record in 1980–81.

Trottier's best offensive season was 1978–79, winning him the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL MVP. He became the first person from a post-Original Six expansion team to win the award in winning the Art Ross. He led the NHL in assists with 87, his highest level since being 77.

Trottier was one of the key players on the Islanders' dynasty teams from the 1980s. During his time with the Islanders from 1980 to 1983, he won four Stanley Cups. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP during New York's first Stanley Cup in 1980. Trottier scored 50 goals in 1981–82, his highest single-season total of his career.

Trottier was the league's best player over Gretzky during the early 1980s, when Wayne Gretzky made numerous scoring records. Trottier was described as a forward with all-around skill, as well as defensive responsibility, and there have been comparisons to Milt Schmidt and Gordie Howe. "Gretzky is an offensive genius for sure," Arbour said. However, Trots has more information at this moment. He's outstanding defensively. He's also physically fit. He has his 100 points a year, as well as everything else!

Trottier was often referred to as "glue" on the Islanders' crew, centering Clark Gillies and Mike Bossy on a line dubbed "The Trio Grande." Although the 1977–78 season was Bossy's rookie season, the Trio Grande led the NHL in scoring above the top lines of the Montreal Canadiens and the Colorado Rockies. John Tonelli, Bob Bourne, and Bob Nystrom were among the Trottier's linemates. Trottier, on the other hand, was best known for his on-ice friendship with Mike Bossy during his prime years with the Islanders before Bossy's early retirement at the end of the 1987 season.

Trottier, who had been chastised by intense national shaming, played for the United States in the 1984 Canada Cup tournament because he was raised in the country in which he lived and because his wife was American. Because he had Métis ancestry on his father's side, he was able to obtain the required US citizenship in July 1984 (Chewa). His North American Indian Card (for which he was eligible because his grandmother was a Chippewa) granted him citizenship in both the United States and Canada, as well as a US passport, which was all he needed for tournament eligibility.

Trottier's longevity was not among other actor centermen. Following his 13th season as a coach, his confidence slowed precipitously, from 82 points in 1988 to 45 points in 1990, and 24 points in 1990. Trottier was fired from his job after the poor results, and the Islanders' leadership believed that his best years were behind him, and that younger centers like Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter should get their ice time. He currently ranks second in Islanders goals and first in assists and points, with second place in assists and points. Despite Trottier's scoring reducing, it could be said that he remained a solid defensive player and team leader.

Trottier, the Pittsburgh Penguins' free agent, has been hired to provide experience and leadership to a young team. In 1991 and 1992, respectively, he won the Stanley Cup for the fifth and sixth times with Pittsburgh. Trottier took the 1992–93 season off, returning to the Isles as a front-officer, but financial constraints, which stemmed from poor investments, forced Trottier to return to the ice with the Penguins in 1993–94 season. He resigned after a disappointing last season, where he scored just four goals in 41 games. His point total stood at sixth in NHL history at the time of his retirement.

Coaching career

He spent his seventh career Stanley Cup appearance with the Pittsburgh Penguins until 1997.

Trottier was appointed as head coach of the New York Rangers in 2002, much to the ire of Islander fans. However, his brief time with the Rangers lasted just 54 games, marginally less than the halfway point of the season. In addition to being chastised by Isles fans who branded him a traitor, Rob Ranger fans became angry as well, who believed he misappropriated his offensively gifted players (such as Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure), limiting the player's offensive chances). Trottier had played 54 games at the time of his dismissal at the hands of General Manager Glen Sather, winning 54% and a 21–26–1 record. Trottier was hired as an assistant coach for the Buffalo Sabres on July 29, 2014.

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Awards

• WCHL All-Star team – 1975
• Member of seven Stanley Cup winning teams: 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 with the New York Islanders, and 1991 and 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach.
• Selected to nine NHL All-Star Games: 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1992
• Selected to two NHL first All-Star teams: 1978 and 1979
• Selected to two NHL second All-Star teams: 1982 and 1984
• Calder Memorial Trophy winner: 1976
• Art Ross Trophy winner: 1979
• Hart Memorial Trophy: 1979
• Conn Smythe Trophy: 1980
• King Clancy Memorial Trophy: 1989
• Recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now the Indspire Awards, in the sports category: 1998
• Inducted in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2016
• Inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1997