Barry Trotz Returns to Smashville: 'This is Home for Me'

At a press conference on Monday at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced that he would be retiring from his position at the end of June. Effective July 1, Barry Trotz will become the franchise's second general manager.
After all, who better to replace the only general manager in franchise history, who announced earlier this week that he was going to retire, than the franchise's first-ever and winningest head coach?

"This is home for me," Trotz said. I've already got lots of sweat equity in the Predators. I've got Predators DNA; it's never gone away. And it's important for me because I live here."
Trotz was hired by Poile on Aug. 6, 1997, and achieved a 557-479-(60)-100 record in 1,196 games as the team's bench boss, guiding Nashville to the postseason seven times. His time with the Predators was historic - he coached the second-most games with one franchise in NHL history, and his 557 wins with Nashville are the third-most by a head coach with a single organization in League lore.
Trotz cemented himself as a foundational piece of an organization that holds a reputation as being one of the NHL's most consistent, thanks in part to his ability to guide the Predators during their initial seasons as an expansion franchise. He is one of just six coaches in the NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB to have managed each of a team's first 15 seasons of existence, and at the conclusion of his final campaign as Nashville's head coach, was one of four in expansion-team history to have a record better than .500.
Now, Trotz hopes to help write the next chapter in franchise history - this time, as a general manager.
"I'm hoping as the next general manager that I can perform the duties with the dignity and class and the professionalism that David has for so many years," Trotz said. "It'll be a tall task, but I'm up for the challenge."

Trotz and Poile have known each other for decades, and the former frequently refers to the latter as a mentor throughout his coaching career.
"We started our relationship 40 years ago," Poile said. "It was my first training camp with the Washington Capitals, and Barry was attending the Washington Capitals training camp as a player - an undrafted player, a very tough physical player...."
Poile paused, then smirked and added, "But not a good player."
As they say, those who can't do, teach. So Trotz went back to teaching.

He began his coaching career in 1984 as an assistant with the University of Manitoba. He then served two seasons (1985-87) as the head coach and general manager of the Dauphin Kings junior hockey club before returning to the University of Manitoba as the head coach in 1987. In January 2001, Trotz was inducted into the University's Hall of Fame. During the 1987 campaign, Trotz also served as a scout for the Spokane Chiefs (WHL) and a part-time scout for the Capitals. In 1988, he joined Washington as a full-time western scout, and the next season he became the Caps' chief western scout.
Trotz reached his goal of becoming an NHL head coach when he was hired by Poile in August 1997. After a year of scouting talent in North America and Europe, Trotz and his staff made the most of their opportunity by leading the inaugural edition (1998-99) of the Predators to a 28-47-7 record.
Coaching the inaugural Preds team helped shape Trotz's perspective on leadership and player development, a perspective he believes will ease his transition from coaching into management.
"I looked at the bigger picture than 'you've just got to win,' Trotz said. "[Rather,] you've got to develop - developing players on the ice and developing people so that they can have success because we're human. These young men - the pressures they feel from management, from coaches, from fans, it's way different than everything else… They carry a really good load and they have to be mentally tough and they have to have all the tools you have to give them those tools they have to have success. So I have a really broad picture of what coaching is and what culture is."
Following the 2013-14 season, his last with the Predators, Trotz took over as head coach of the Capitals, where he found instant success, leading them to a 101-point season in 2014-15 and a Presidents' Trophy-winning 120-point campaign the next en route to winning his first Jack Adams Award. Just two seasons later, Trotz reached the pinnacle of the sport, guiding Washington to the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup title in a 4-2 series win over Vegas.
He would take over as Islanders head coach the following season, where he again earned the Jack Adams Award after leading New York to a 48-27-7 record and a spot in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After his final campaign with the Islanders in 2021-22, Trotz held a career record of 914-670-(60)-168 and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 14 of his 23 seasons.

When it came time to consider a potential return to coaching, Trotz turned to his trusted confidant and former assistant coach with the Predators for guidance.
"It was Brent Peterson who gave me the best advice ever," Trotz said. "He said, 'You're going to have some tough decisions. You're going to know what they are. Just do what's right.' At this point in my life and in my career, I asked that question - if it feels right for me. So I made that decision and said I was going to step away from coaching and pursue this with the same vigor that I pursued coaching."
While transitioning from coaching to management may be the right thing for Trotz at this time in his life, it won't necessarily be the easiest thing - which is why he intends to lean on Poile's years of experience and expertise.
"A lot of you don't know all the struggles and and all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes that have had to be dealt with," Trotz said. "And David has dealt with it with so much dignity and class that it's going to be hard to live up to that standard. But I'm going to try to do that every day - treat people the right way, do what's right, and create a winning culture. And I've been pretty successful at creating a winning culture."
Trotz also plans to seek counsel from Assistant GMs Scott Nichol, Jeff Kealty and Brian Poile, whom he says are "the best at what they do."
"I know I won't be perfect," Trotz said. "I'm not a perfect coach, so don't expect a perfect general manager. But I think I have enough tools in my toolbox where I can be successful at this. It's no different than when I'm coaching. You surround yourself with really good people, and you have a chance to succeed all the time; and I've got some great people in Scott Nichol and Jeff Kealty and Brian Poile, and I know the staff that's in that room. I know some of the players; I've actually coached some of the players, which is a unique thing. So I feel I have enough tools but I also have the passion."
Trotz was referring not only to his passion for the team or the organization, but also to his passion for the city that he and his family continue to call home.
During his initial tenure with the Predators, Trotz and his family were active in a variety of service and charitable initiatives in the Middle Tennessee community. This commitment was recognized when Trotz was honored with the Community Spirit Award (in recognition for community service) at the 2005 O'Charley's Dinner of Champions, presented by the Nashville Sports Council.
While he was the team's head coach, the Trotz family would donate $500 to My Friend's House (a United Way agency) for each Nashville victory, with donations surpassing $260,000 in 2013-14. He was an active board member for Peterson for Parkinson's Foundation, the Williamson County YMCA and the United Way, and also continues to work closely with Best Buddies of Tennessee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"This there's a love affair between the Preds and the fans and the city," Trotz said. "They said that we couldn't make it here, but we did. And it's a tribute to all the hard work… It's special, and I want it to continue to be special. It's a special place to live, and it's a special place to come and get hockey entertainment and we're just missing one thing and that'll be our pursuit."

That one thing, of course, is the Stanley Cup. And Trotz made it clear that he will not rest until he helps bring one home to Smashville.
"I'm passionate about Nashville," Trotz said. "I am passionate about the city as much as I am about the team.I want to live here. I want to envision that trophy coming down Broadway… We want to do that so that we can share it with our fans."