Bryan Trottier

Bryan John Trottier (nacido el 17 de julio de 1956) ^{[ 1 ]} es un ex centro profesional de hockey sobre hielo canadiense y estadounidense que jugó 18 temporadas en la Liga Nacional de Hockey (NHL) para los New York Islanders y los Pittsburgh Penguins .

Trottier fue seleccionado en el puesto 22 del draft de 1974 por los Islanders y formó parte del equipo titular en 1975, año en el que estableció un récord de puntos para un novato (95) y ganó el Trofeo Memorial Calder por su desempeño. En la temporada 1978-79 , alcanzó un máximo de 134 puntos; el 23 de diciembre, se convirtió en el primer Islander en anotar cinco goles en un partido y estableció un récord de la NHL esa misma noche al registrar la mayor cantidad de puntos en un solo período con seis (cuatro goles y dos asistencias); el récord ha sido igualado pero nunca superado. ^{[ 2 ]} En esa temporada, ganó el Trofeo Art Ross como máximo anotador de puntos y también ganó el Trofeo Memorial Hart por su valioso desempeño; fue el primer (y hasta ahora único) Islander en ganar ambos premios en la historia de la franquicia. Ganó el Trofeo Conn Smythe por su actuación en los playoffs de la Copa Stanley de 1980, con 29 puntos en 21 partidos, cuando los Islanders ganaron el primero de cuatro campeonatos consecutivos de la Copa Stanley . En un partido el 13 de febrero de la temporada 1981-82 , anotó cinco goles, convirtiéndose en el séptimo jugador de la NHL con múltiples partidos de cinco goles .

Registró su gol número 500 en 1990, convirtiéndose en el 15.º jugador en alcanzar esa marca en la historia de la NHL. Los Islanders le compraron su contrato después de la temporada y posteriormente firmó como agente libre con Pittsburgh, donde brindó liderazgo veterano mientras los Penguins ganaban la Copa Stanley en 1991 y 1992. Inicialmente se retiró en 1992, pero regresó para una temporada más con Pittsburgh antes de retirarse definitivamente en 1994. Uno de los mejores Islanders en la historia de la franquicia, Trottier registró 524 goles y 901 asistencias para 1425 puntos en más de 1200 juegos; en los playoffs, registró 182 puntos en 221 juegos jugados. Fue incluido en el Salón de la Fama del Hockey en 1997 y su camiseta fue retirada por los Islanders en 2001. En 2017, Trottier fue nombrado uno de los " 100 mejores jugadores de la NHL " de la historia. ^{[ 3 ]}

Trottier fue entrenador asistente de los Penguins de 1993 a 1997. En 1998 se convirtió en entrenador de los Colorado Avalanche , donde formó parte del cuerpo técnico cuando los Avalanche ganaron la Copa Stanley en 2001 , lo que le valió a Trottier su sexto campeonato. En 2002 fue entrenador de los New York Rangers , donde dirigió 54 partidos antes de ser despedido. Trabajó en la directiva de los Islanders a partir de 2006 antes de ser contratado como entrenador asistente de los Buffalo Sabres en 2014, donde dirigió al equipo durante la temporada 2014-15 . ^{[ 4 ]}

Trottier creció en la ciudad de Val Marie, Saskatchewan , Canadá, ubicada entre Swift Current y la frontera con Montana , con sus padres y cuatro hermanos. ^{[ 5 ]} Su padre era de ascendencia Cree Métis y su madre es de origen irlandés . ^{[ 6 ]} Experimentó racismo durante su infancia, pero sus padres lo animaron a sentirse orgulloso de su herencia indígena. ^{[ 7 ]} Trottier tiene una hermana mayor, Carol, y tres hermanos menores, Kathy, Monty y Rocky . Monty jugó hockey profesional en ligas menores y Rocky jugó 38 partidos para los New Jersey Devils . ^{[ 5 ]}

Al crecer en la década de 1960, Trottier quería ser como su ídolo Jean Béliveau . Cuando aprendía a patinar, su padre despejaba la represa del arroyo que cruzaba su casa con un machete para crear una superficie donde practicar. ^{[ 8 ]}

De niño, Trottier jugó para el Climax Hockey Team en Climax, Saskatchewan . Se unió a los Swift Current Broncos en 1972. Fue con los Broncos que conoció a Tiger Williams , a quien le atribuyó haberle enseñado lecciones clave (como pelear). En una ocasión, Trottier, que extrañaba su hogar, estaba considerando dejar el hockey, incluso planeaba volver a la escuela después de regresar a casa por Navidad. Williams llegó a su casa e insistió en que volviera con los Broncos, lo cual resultó beneficioso para Trottier, quien le atribuyó haber hecho que el hockey volviera a ser divertido. ^{[ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 8 ]} En esa temporada, Trottier registró 157 puntos totales en 135 partidos. Jugando con los Lethbridge Broncos en la temporada 1974-75 de la WCHL , tuvo 46 goles y 98 asistencias en 67 partidos y fue nombrado MVP de la liga. ^{[ 11 ] [ 12 ]}

Trottier was drafted in both of the 1974 WHA amateur draft and the 1974 NHL entry draft. The WHA Cincinnati Stingers reportedly offered him $50,000 a year for the next ten years, but Trottier elected to go with the Islanders (who selected him in the second round as the 22nd overall pick), although he played in the WCHL one further season before going to training camp in 1975 in preparation of the 1975–76 season.^[13] That year, he set an NHL rookie record of 95 points and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year (his record was later broken by Peter Šťastný of the Quebec Nordiques in the 1980–81 season).

Trottier's best offensive season was 1978–79 when he scored 134 points, earning him the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer, as well as the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player. In winning the Art Ross, he became the first player from a post-Original Six expansion team to win the award. In that same season, he led the NHL in assists with 87, which he had also done the year before with 77.

Trottier was one of the core players on the Islanders' dynasty teams from the 1980s. He won four Stanley Cups during his time with the Islanders from 1980 to 1983. During New York's first Stanley Cup in 1980, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. In 1981–82, Trottier scored 50 goals, the highest single-season total of his career.

During the early 1980s, when Wayne Gretzky set numerous scoring marks, Islanders broadcaster Stan Fischler and head coach Al Arbour nonetheless maintained that Trottier was the league's best player over Gretzky. Trottier was described as a forward possessing an all-around game including ruggedness and defensive responsibility, and there were comparisons to Milt Schmidt and Gordie Howe. Arbour stated, "Gretzky is an offensive genius for sure. But at this stage Trots gives you more things. Defensively, he's outstanding. And he's physically tough. He comes up with his 100 points a year, automatically, along with everything else!"^[14]

Trottier was often referred to as the "glue" on the Islanders team, leading his fellow stars Clark Gillies and Mike Bossy on a line known as "The Trio Grande." While the 1977–78 season was Bossy's rookie year, the Trio Grande at one point led the NHL in scoring above the top lines of the Montreal Canadiens and the Colorado Rockies.^[15] Other linemates that played with Trottier included John Tonelli, Bob Bourne and Bob Nystrom. Trottier, however, was most known for his dynamic on-ice partnership with Mike Bossy during his prime years with the Islanders until Bossy's early retirement at the end of the 1987 season.

In the leadup to the 1984 Canada Cup, Trottier decided to play for the United States in the tournament, having previously represented Canada in 1981, a decision that earned him boos in exhibition games held in Canada. Trottier stated, "Nothing against Canada, but I'd like to play for the U.S. and do something for the country that has been good to me."^[16][17] He was able to obtain the necessary U.S. citizenship in July 1984 because he had Métis ancestry on his father's side (Cree/Chippewa).^[18] His North American Indian Card (for which he qualified because his grandmother was a Chippewa) entitled him to citizenship in both the U.S. and Canada, as well as a U.S. passport, which was all he needed for tournament eligibility.^[18]

In the 1988–89 season, Trottier had his first season with a negative plus-minus, doing so with a season that saw him drop to 17 goals and 28 assists in 73 games for a -7 rating. He was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his leadership on and off the ice. In the 1989–90 season, he played in just 59 games and recorded 13 goals with 11 assists. Trottier scored his 500th career goal, doing so on February 13, 1990 against the Calgary Flames in his 1,104th game as a player; he was the 15th player to reach 500 goals and the second Islander to do so after Bossy. It was his last goal as an Islander. When the Islanders were eliminated in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Trottier was benched for the final game.^{[19][20][21][22]} After that low output, on July 3, Islanders management bought out the last two years of Trottier's contract, which he remarked was a "painful" moment.^[23][24] He ranks second in Islanders history in goals, and first in assists and points. It could be noted, however, that even as Trottier's scoring declined, he remained a strong defensive player and team leader.^[14]

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Trottier as a free agent on July 20, 1990, to provide experience and leadership to a young team, most notably with Jaromir Jagr, who had recently emigrated from Czechoslovakia; Randy Gilhen, who wore the number 19 jersey in Pittsburgh the previous season, gifted Trottier the number in training camp.^[10] Playing in 52 games, he logged nine goals with 19 assists. In the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs run, he had three goals (two of which proving to be the game-winner) and four assists as the Penguins won the Stanley Cup that year for Trottier's fifth Cup as a player.^[25] He played in 63 games of the following 1991–92 season and earned a trip to the All-Star Game while scoring 11 goals with 18 assists. In the playoffs, he had four goals with three assists as Pittsburgh repeated in winning the Stanley Cup.^[26] Trottier took the 1992–93 season off, returning to the Isles in a front-office capacity, but financial troubles, stemming from poor investments, forced Trottier to re-sign as a free agent with the Penguins on June 22, 1993, and return to the ice with the Penguins for the 1993–94 season. ^[24] On the ice, he had just four goals in 41 games before closing out his career with two appearances in the playoffs. He retired after the season, doing so with a point total of 1,425 points that ranked sixth all-time in NHL history.^[27]

Trottier served as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1993 to 1997. He served as head coach of the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League for the 1997–98 season; the team went 33–33–12–2 in his only season with the Pirates.^[28] In 1998, he was hired by the Colorado Avalanche to serve on the coaching staff, where he won his seventh career Stanley Cup in 2001.

Prior to the end of the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Trottier stated his desire to leave the Avalanche for a coaching position and had the endorsement of GM Pierre Lacroix. Reportedly, when approached by the New York Rangers (as managed by GM Glen Sather) with a lengthy questionnaire to potential coaching candidates, Trottier's submission of eighty handwritten pages impressed Sather. On June 6, he was hired by the Rangers to be head coach on a three-year contract.^[29][30] Trottier ultimately did not fare well as a coach for the Rangers, which went 21–26–6–1 (for a .454 winning percentage) in 54 games that saw criticism for his matchups alongside an inability to get along with star players Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure. On the cusp of a three-game losing streak that saw the Rangers outscored by a combined score of 16–5, Trottier was fired on January 29, 2003 by Sather, who served as interim coach for the rest of the season.^[31][32][33]

On June 1, 2006, Trottier returned to the Islanders as the team's executive director of player development.^[34]

On July 29, 2014, Trottier was hired as an assistant coach for the Buffalo Sabres. At the conclusion of the 2014–15 season, his contract was not renewed by the team.^[35][36]

Steve Yzerman considered Trottier his favourite player and wore number 19 in his honour. Trottier himself had chosen the number partly in reference to Paul Henderson, who famously wore 19 during the 1972 Summit Series. ^[37][38]

Trottier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1997.^[39] During his induction speech, Trottier spoke about his mother's encouragement of his pride in his Aboriginal identity.^[7]

El resentimiento persistente por cómo terminó su etapa en los Islanders impidió que la organización de los Islanders honrara el número de Trottier durante algunos años; se especuló que Trottier buscaba una compensación por asistir a una ceremonia previa al partido, aunque él negó esa afirmación. Una reunión en marzo de 2001 con el propietario del equipo, Charles Wang, condujo a un anuncio posterior en agosto de que la camiseta de Trottier sería retirada. ^{[ 40 ]} La ceremonia de retiro se llevó a cabo el 20 de octubre de 2001 antes del partido contra los San Jose Sharks ; Trottier fue el sexto jugador de los Islanders en tener su camiseta retirada. ^{[ 41 ] [ 42 ]}

Hasta 2025, Trottier ocupa el puesto 13 de todos los tiempos con 182 puntos en playoffs (71 goles y 111 asistencias) en 221 juegos jugados. ^{[ 43 ]} Trottier ocupa actualmente el puesto 19 de todos los tiempos en puntos de temporada regular de la NHL. Es el líder histórico de los Islanders en asistencias y puntos, tanto en temporada regular como en playoffs. En 2023, el New York Post nombró a Trottier como el tercer mejor jugador en la historia del equipo, detrás de Mike Bossy y Denis Potvin . ^{[ 44 ]} En 2023, The Athletic lo nombró el 23.º mejor jugador en la historia moderna de la NHL. ^{[ 45 ] [ 46 ]}

El 17 de junio de 2026, Canada Post presentó un sello postal con la imagen de Trottier como parte de una serie que honra a los líderes y defensores indígenas canadienses en el ámbito deportivo. ^{[ 47 ]}

Trottier has four children from two marriages. One of his sons, Dr. Bryan Trottier Jr, became a hematology/oncologist specialist in Minnesota.^[48][49] In September of 1994, feeling lethargic, Trottier went to the doctor and was diagnosed with clincal depression. He went on a ten-day stay at a facility to deal with issues of self-esteem.^[50] Following his retirement from playing, Trottier played for the Pittsburgh Phantoms of the Roller Hockey International league in its 1994 season.^[51] After his playing career ended, Trottier returned to his old hobby in music (having played for the family band as a child), which has seen him play the guitar for various NHLPA alumni games alongside festivities for Hockey Day in Canada and even at the Hockey Hall of Fame.^[45] In 2022, Trottier's memoir, All Roads Home: A Life On and Off the Ice was published.^[50]

One of Bryan's grandsons, Parker Trottier, captained the United States to the gold medal in the men's tournament at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.^[52]

• Western Canada Hockey League All-Star team: 1975
• Stanley Cup champion: 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983 (all with the New York Islanders), 1991 and 1992 (all with the Pittsburgh Penguins), and 2001 (with the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach)
• NHL All-Star Game: 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1992
• NHL first All-Star team: 1978 and 1979
• NHL second All-Star team: 1982 and 1984
• Calder Memorial Trophy: 1976
• Art Ross Trophy: 1979
• Hart Memorial Trophy: 1979
• Conn Smythe Trophy: 1980
• King Clancy Memorial Trophy: 1989
• Recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now the Indspire Awards) in the sports category: 1998
• Recipient of the Order of Sport, marking induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame: 2016^[53]
• Inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame: 1997^[54][55]

Team records

• Most career games (Islanders) – 1,123
• Most career points (Islanders) – 1,353
• Most career assists (Islanders) – 853
• Most assists in a season (Islanders) – 87 in 1978–79

League records

• Most points in a period (Tied with Mika Zibanejad) – 6 (vs. New York Rangers), December 23, 1978
• Fastest goal to start a game (tied with three others) – 0:05 (vs. Boston Bruins), March 22, 1984
• Most Power Play goals in one game (tied with several others) – 4 (vs. Philadelphia) February 13, 1982

• List of NHL statistical leaders
• List of players with five or more goals in an NHL game
• List of NHL players with 1,000 points
• List of NHL players with 500 goals
• List of NHL players with 1,000 games played

• Información biográfica y estadísticas de carrera de NHL.com , Eliteprospects.com , Hockey-Reference.com , Legends of Hockey o The Internet Hockey Database.