Barry Trotz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barry Trotz |
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Trotz with the Washington Capitals in October 2015
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| Born | July 15, 1962 Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada |
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| Coached for | Nashville Predators Washington Capitals New York Islanders |
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| Coaching career | 1984–2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Barry Trotz (born July 15, 1962) is a Canadian ice hockey expert. He used to play and coach, and now he is a general manager. He works for the Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League (NHL). Before this, he helped the General Manager David Poile.
Barry Trotz was also the head coach for the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. He is known for his coaching style that focuses on strong defense. He is one of the top coaches in NHL history for the number of wins. Fans and players often call him "Trotzy".
He coached teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) like the Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates. He even won an AHL championship with the Pirates in 1994. That same year, he won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for being the best coach in the AHL. For a long time, Trotz was the coach who had been with one NHL team the longest. On April 14, 2014, the Predators announced that Trotz would not return as their head coach after 15 seasons.
On May 26, 2014, Trotz became the new head coach of the Washington Capitals. On June 7, 2018, he won his first Stanley Cup with the Capitals. They beat the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. This was the first Stanley Cup win for the Capitals team! After that, on June 21, 2018, Trotz became the new head coach of the New York Islanders. He left the Islanders after the 2021–22 NHL season when the team did not make it to the playoffs.
Contents
Coaching Career Highlights
Starting as a Coach
Before he became a coach, Barry Trotz played as a defenseman for the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1979 to 1982. He helped them win the WHL Championship in 1980.
Trotz realized he might not make it to the NHL as a player. So, he started thinking about coaching. In 1982, he got a chance to attend a training camp for the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League (AHL). This happened because Jack Button, who worked for the Washington Capitals, believed Trotz could be a good leader or coach someday.
Trotz began his coaching journey as an assistant coach at the University of Manitoba in 1984. The next year, he became the general manager and head coach for the Dauphin Kings. In 1987, he went back to the University of Manitoba as head coach. He also worked as a part-time scout for the Washington Capitals.
In 1992, Trotz became the head coach for the Capitals' minor league team, the Baltimore Skipjacks. The team later moved to Portland, Maine, in 1993 and became the Portland Pirates. Trotz led the Pirates to the Calder Cup Finals twice. They won the Calder Cup in their very first season, 1994!
Leading the Nashville Predators (1998–2014)
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When David Poile, a longtime general manager for the Capitals, moved to the new Nashville Predators team, he brought Barry Trotz with him. Trotz became the Predators' very first head coach on August 6, 1997. Even before the team played its first game, Trotz was busy. He helped scout players and design the team's facilities at the Bridgestone Arena.
In their first season, the 1998–99 NHL season, Trotz and the Predators won 28 games. This was one of the best starts for a new NHL team. Trotz holds the record for coaching the most games as the first coach of an NHL expansion team. On November 4, 2008, Trotz coached his 750th game with a single team.
The 2006–07 NHL season was a great year for Trotz and the Predators. They earned 110 points, which was the second-highest in the Western Conference. However, they lost in the playoffs to the San Jose Sharks. Trotz was highly respected by other coaches in the NHL for keeping his team focused. He led the Predators to the playoffs four times in a row from 2003 to 2008, and again in 2009–10.
On March 30, 2012, Trotz earned his 500th win as a coach. This happened in a 4–1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
On April 14, 2014, the Predators announced that Trotz would not return for his 16th season. His time with the Predators was the longest continuous coaching period in NHL history for one team.
Winning the Stanley Cup with Washington (2014–2018)
Even though the Predators offered Trotz a job in their front office, he wanted to keep coaching. The Washington Capitals, the team that first gave him chances in professional hockey, hired him on May 26, 2014.
On February 28, 2017, Trotz reached his 700th win as a coach. This made him only the sixth NHL coach to achieve this milestone.
In the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Capitals had a tough journey. They often fell behind in their series but managed to come back. They beat the defending champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to reach the Conference Finals. This was the first time Trotz had made it past the second round as a coach. The Capitals then faced the Tampa Bay Lightning. They won the first two games, then lost three in a row. But they fought back, winning Game 6 and Game 7 with shutouts to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the Finals, they played against the Vegas Golden Knights, a new team that had a great season. The Capitals lost Game 1 but then won Game 2. They continued to win Game 3 and Game 4. On June 7, 2018, the Capitals won a close Game 5 by a score of 4–3. This victory clinched the Stanley Cup for the Capitals! It was the first Stanley Cup title for Barry Trotz as a head coach after 19 seasons, which was the longest wait in NHL history. On June 18, 2018, Trotz resigned from the Capitals due to a contract disagreement.
Coaching the New York Islanders (2018–2022)
On June 21, 2018, the New York Islanders hired Trotz as their head coach. On March 5, 2019, Trotz earned his 800th career win when the Islanders beat the Ottawa Senators. In the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Islanders swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. On June 19, 2019, Trotz won the Jack Adams Award for the second time, which is given to the NHL's coach of the year.
On August 20, 2020, the Islanders defeated Trotz's old team, the Washington Capitals, in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
After a win against the New York Rangers on February 8, 2021, Trotz earned his 850th career win as an NHL head coach. This moved him to third place on the all-time list for coach wins.
On May 9, 2022, Trotz was let go as the Islanders' head coach because the team did not make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
International Coaching
Trotz also served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships three times. He helped them win the gold medal in 2003.
Executive Career
It was announced that Barry Trotz would become the general manager of the Nashville Predators on July 1, 2023. He took over from David Poile.
Personal Life
Barry Trotz lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife and one of their four children. He is very involved in the Nashville community. In 2005, he won the Community Spirit Award for his charity work. This included donating money for each Nashville victory and working with organizations like the Williamson County YMCA and the United Way. He also worked closely with Best Buddies of Tennessee, which helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Trotz was added to the Portland Pirates Hall of Fame in 2005 and the University of Manitoba Hall of Fame in 2001. He is of Ukrainian background.
Images for kids
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Trotz with the Washington Capitals in October 2015
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Trotz during his time as head coach of the Nashville Predators in 2009.
