Maven's Memories: Trottier Wins Hart in 1979

"Bryan Trottier brought fire to the franchise, even though the fire burned mostly inside." -- Islanders GM Bill Torrey.

Every coach who ever had the good fortune to look down his bench and see Bryan Trottier eager to jump into the fray waxed ecstatic about the center from Val Marie, Saskatchewan.
Whether it was Al Arbour, who molded Trots to stardom, or Terry Simpson, who inherited Bryan's durability and excellence, the reaction was the same -- gratitude to have him on our side.

"Bryan never ceased to amaze me," Simpson recalled. "He'd go out and play the power play, kill penalties, do extra face-off work, and take his regular turn. Never for a minute would he complain or play less than his best."

Selecting the penultimate season in Trots' consummate career, is challenging to say the least. There were so many "bests." One longtime foe, former Boston Bruins coach and general manager Harry Sinden, was as objective as any critic when he opined the following:

"Bryan didn't stand out in one area," Sinden explained. "He was deceptive. When he was in close, he could find an opening and he had tremendous patience and poise. He was able to control the puck and keep it away from the opposition until he was good and ready to shoot."

While Bryan starred for each of the four-Cup dynastic teams, one season -- more than many -- emerges as the best-of-the-best simply because of his deluxe double-dip.

During the 1978-79 season, the indomitable center climbed to the offensive -- and artistic -- peak in his career. For starters he paced the NHL in scoring (134 points) and, for finishers, he won the Hart Trophy as the circuit's most valuable player.
In that season, Bryan also established himself as the balance wheel of the Trio Grande line, centering for sophomore right wing Mike Bossy and hard-nosed portsider Clark Gillies.

"Bryan was a tremendous skater," the late Gillies remembered, "and he controlled the puck extremely well. His main strength was that he always came up with the puck in the corners.
"He also was good at causing the other team to make a mistake. He anticipated so well that he was often able to intercept passes. And he rarely made a mistake."

Examining Arbour's lineup in the 1970's, critics around the league agreed that the Nassaumen's roster bulged with enough collective talent to be a Stanley Cup contender.
Trottier would underline the point with five dauntless and decisive performances starting in late November 1978 and concluding in mid-March 1979.

On November 21, 1978 he totaled five points against the Colorado Rockies. Bryan dominated the first period tallying a point on all four Islanders goals. He recorded a hat trick as well during the team's 7-1 win.
David Kolb, a co-author of the upcoming Islanders 50th Anniversary Commemorative book, had just become an Isles fan that year -- and especially idolized Bryan.

"I thought that Trots was the center of the hockey universe," Kolb recalled. "After all, it felt as if he played a role in nearly every Islanders goal that season."

The young fan's passion was further invigorated 16 days later when the St. Louis Blues visited Uniondale. The Islanders blasted the Blues, 7-1, that night.

Bryan's bountiful contribution was a five-point game -- two goals and three assists -- including three points in the third period.
"It always was special to beat the Rangers," Trots chuckled, "but I'll never forget what happened a couple of days before Christmas that season."

The date of this epic performance was December 23, 1978. This time Bryan delivered five goals and three assists in the 9-4 rout of the Blueshirts.

A SportsChannel producer in charge of "Star Of The Game" interviews after the contest wondered in the TV truck what to do.
"Usually we give a gift to the star. What can we give Bryan -- a car?"

Meanwhile, the Trottier-Bossy one-two punch had become the talk of the league along with their ever-improving hockey team. They had opened the season with a 25-4-7 record, lost two games in a row only once and never went three without a win.

Another virtuoso Trottier performance too place in Atlanta four days before the start of the new year, 1979. Bryan tallied another five points -- a goal and four assists -- in a 10-4 dousing of the Flames. Likewise, the better Bryan played, the better Bossy scored. They melded like perfectly meshed gears.

Bossy: "History will remember Trots as a great hockey player and me as a great scorer, not a great hockey player. He was a strong and determined center who could score and check and win face-offs. We wanted to keep pace with each other, but we rarely tried to outdo one another. I pushed him and he pushed me and we relished the success we enjoyed as linemates."

After watching Trottier in action one night a reporter confronted Bryan post-game and asked if hockey actually was "fun" for him. "I'd think nothing of playing twice in one day, if I could," he shot back. "That's how much I love this game."

His enjoyment again was evident at the Coliseum on March 13, 1978 when he tallied four assists in a 7-2 beating put on the Bruins. He had an assist in all three periods, including two in the middle frame.

By season's end, Trottier had led the NHL in scoring (Art Ross Trophy) with 47 goals and 87 assists for 134 points. He was first in the league in assists and points by four; as well as plus-minus by five. He followed that by winning the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. Zachary Weinstock, also co-author of the upcoming Islanders 50th anniversary book, analyzed Bryan's record season and emerged with a compelling bit of insight.

"There was no Selke Trophy for best defensive forward in those days," noted Weinstock. "But if there was, I think we can go out on a limb and say that Trots would have won that prize too. That would meant that as points leader he was the most productive offensive player of the year and as Selke winner he would be recognized as the most productive defensive forward of the year. That's complete dominance."

And that was Bryan Trottier in 1978-79.

Or, as Bill Torrey put it, "The best of the best!"