on Monday. "The work you put in, the friendships that we made, the incredible things that we did together, that lasts a lifetime."
Trotz told the players the are capable of repeating as champions. "You'll have to go through [the Islanders]," he said with a smile, "but you can do it again too."
The Capitals and Islanders are Metropolitan Division rivals, but Trotz said he'd have a hard time hating Washington.
"It's going to be really hard to not like you guys," he said. "It really is, because you're always family."
After the game, Trotz said of his speech to the Capitals, "It's special. I thanked them for all the wonderful memories that will last a lifetime for me. I said I could die a happy man. That's one of the goals you have since you're a young boy. ... I'm looking forward to the reunions to get all the good stories. I just told them, I said there's always a special place in my heart with that group, and I'm hoping to do the same with this group so they can experience that.
"That's what we're building for."
NHL.com deputy managing editor Brian Compton contributed to this report