ELMONT, N.Y. -- Barry Trotz was back on Long Island on Saturday, and though his focus is now the Nashville Predators, the former New York Islanders coach couldn’t help but reminisce about his time there.
“It’s good to be back. I had a great time here on the island,” Trotz said before a 2-0 loss to the Islanders. “It’s all good memories.”
Trotz coached the Islanders for four seasons, guiding them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three straight seasons and reaching the semifinal round in two of those seasons. But he was fired after New York missed the playoffs in 2021-22.
He was named general manager of the Predators, the team he coached from 1998-2014, on Feb. 27, 2023, and officially took over for David Poile on July 1.
Now Nashville (44-29-4) is on the verge of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, holding the second wild card from the Western Conference, seven points ahead of the St. Louis Blues.
"I thought we were in a little bit of a rebuild," Trotz said of the Predators outlook heading into the season. "I said to the fans that it could be a real tough couple of years here or we might be sneaky good. We started off 5-10-0, so it was looking like we were not very good, but at the same time, we've got good culture people. We have some good players, and some players have grown.
“(Coach) Andrew [Brunette] has done an exceptional job for me. He's very slick. There's some great coaches. I don't think anybody thought we would be where we are right now, and that's a credit to Andrew and the staff and the group of players that have put belief into what they're doing."
The magic Trotz is working with in Nashville resembles what he did with the Islanders. When he became coach before the 2018-19 season, he had just led the Washington Capitals to the Stanley Cup; New York had missed the playoffs for two straight seasons.
During his time with the Islanders, they will still searching for a permanent home, playing in three different arenas -- Barclays Center, Nassau Coliseum and UBS Arena.
“This building [UBS], when I came here, I think it was what we started,” Trotz said. “When I came here, (GM) Lou [Lamoriello] had a really strong vision that he wanted to get the Islanders’ pride and all that and a big part of that was where we were playing. We were sort of a little bit nomadic.
“I feel very fortunate that I got to experience all three venues, and really -- which is unusual -- but you saw the commitment of the organization, ownership, and all that and be part of getting the Islanders' pride back a little bit, and Lou has been instrumental in that.”
Trotz was behind the bench for the Islanders' last game at Nassau Coliseum, Game 6 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Islanders down 3-2 in the series, forward Anthony Beauvillier, who is now playing for the Predators after Nashville acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 7, the overtime winner to force Game 7.
That goal sent Nassau Coliseum into a frenzy.
“What I loved about that playoffs is that we got smoked 8-0 the game before,” Trotz said. He scored, and the emotion that the whole community felt was terrific. Being at the last game there, it was pretty special. What I remember more than the goal is the full beer cans coming down as we tried to get off the ice. I could understand if we were the opposition and they were throwing stuff at us, but we were the home team, and I'm like, ‘I don't have a helmet on right now.’ So I was more worried about that, full cans of beer coming at you. I would rather them throw their shirts.”
The Islanders were eliminated two days later, following the Lightning's 1-0 home win in Game 7.
Trotz said the time he’ll remember the most was coaching the Islanders in the Canadian bubble during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to COVID-19.
“[Captain Anders] Lee did a really good job, and our players, I think, understanding that that would be a unique time ... and we were blessed,” Trotz said. “I think our team took the attitude that it was a blessing. You weren't going to jail. We were getting, maybe, two months of stuff that you can remember for the rest of your life. The attitude of the team and the tightness of the group was exceptional.
“When you end up in close quarters with those guys for a long period of time, some of the talents away from the rink, other than them being really good hockey players, you really admire. No one knew that (forward Jean-Gabriel) Pageau was good at Ping-Pong. Guys knew that (forward Jordan) Eberle could play the guitar and (forward Cal) Clutterbuck and guys like that. They found out that some of them were actually good singers as well and which guys had a sense of humor. You found different things from players, and it was really good. We had some great personalities and great leadership.”
