"When you've lived in this community and you know the people, the type of people that live in this community, former players, coaches, the whole city … I've always felt the support in Nashville," said Trotz, who responded to the ovation by blowing a kiss to the crowd.
The Atlantic Division defeated the Metropolitan Division 4-3 in the first game of Sunday's 2016 NHL All-Star Game under the new three-on-three format.
After 557 wins and 1,196 games behind the Predators bench, Trotz made his first return to Nashville last season, which he admitted was difficult. This All-Star weekend provided him an opportunity to mingle and reminisce with many friends that he made during his 15-year run as Predators coach.
"Last year, (coming back) was very emotional and awkward," said Trotz, a two-time finalist for the Jack Adams Award during his time in Nashville. "This year, to come back and see how the Predators have come along as an organization from the first days in '97 … we had a phone and a cord hanging from the roof, and that's how we started. To see it now, it's fantastic. Obviously I've had a history here. One of the things I know about Nashville, Tennessee is that they know how to put on events, major events, and they do it right."
"The city is set up the right way; obviously they have a beautiful convention center, a beautiful rink. It has something that a lot of other cities can't do. Obviously the entertainment portion of it, the music industry, the creative people that are here, the film industry, all that. You put that all together, I don't think you're going to be able to match this. For the city of Nashville, for the NHL, I think Nashville set the bar really, really high."
For the Capitals who accompanied Trotz this weekend, they weren't the least bit shocked to see him receive such a warm reception from the Nashville crowd.
"He really deserves it," center Nicklas Backstrom said. "He was here for [15] years. He really deserves it. It's nice for him to come back here. He spent a lot of time here."
"It was no surprise," goalie Braden Holtby said. "It's very rare you see a coach come back to a team that was let go or whatever it was, and the amount of love still from the city, they appreciate what he's done. That's when you know you've done something special, and he has in Nashville."
"Everyone says they want Barry back, but they're not getting him from us."
