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Bryan Trottier

Bryan John Trottier is a Canadian and American former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.

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Bryan Trottier
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1997
Trottier with the New York Islanders in 1985
Born (1956-07-17) July 17, 1956
Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
National team  Canada and
 United States
NHL draft 22nd overall, 1974
New York Islanders
WHA draft 18th overall, 1974
Cincinnati Stingers
Playing career 1975–1994

Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956)1 is a Canadian and American former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Trottier was drafted with the 22nd pick in 1974 by the Islanders and made the opening lineup in 1975, which saw him set a rookie record for points (95) and win the Calder Memorial Trophy for his play. In the 1978–79 season, he had a career-high 134 points; on December 23, he became the first Islander to score five goals in a game and set an NHL record that same night when he recorded the most points in a single period with six (four goals and two assists); the record has been matched but never broken.2 In that season, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the leading-point scorer and also won the Hart Memorial Trophy for his valuable play; he was the first (and so far only) Islander to win both awards in franchise history. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his play in the 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs with 29 points in 21 games as the Islanders won the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. In a game on February 13 of the 1981–82 season, he recorded a five-goal game to become the seventh NHL player with multiple five-goal games.

He recorded his 500th goal in 1990, becoming the 15th player to reach the mark in NHL history. He was bought out of his contract by the Islanders after the season ended up and he subsequently signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh, where he provided veteran leadership as the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. He initially retired in 1992 but returned for one more season with Pittsburgh before finally retiring in 1994. One of the best Islanders in franchise history, Trottier recorded 524 goals and 901 assists for 1,425 points in over 1,200 games; in the playoffs, he recorded 182 points in 221 games played. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997 and his jersey was retired by the Islanders in 2001. In 2017, Trottier was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.3

Trottier served as an assistant coach with the Penguins from 1993 to 1997. He became a coach with the Colorado Avalanche in 1998, where he was on the staff when the Avalanche won the Cup in 2001 to give Trottier a sixth championship. He served as coach of the New York Rangers in 2002, where he coached for 54 games before being fired. He worked in the front office for the Islanders beginning in 2006 before being hired as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres in 2014, where he coached the 2014–15 season.4

Early life

Trottier grew up in the town of Val Marie, Saskatchewan, Canada, located between Swift Current and the Montana border with his parents and four siblings.5 His father was of Cree Métis descent, and his mother is of Irish origin.6 He experienced racism as a child, but his parents encouraged him to be proud of his native heritage.7 Trottier has one older sister, Carol, and three younger siblings, Kathy, Monty and Rocky. Monty played professional minor league hockey, and Rocky played in 38 games for the New Jersey Devils.5

Growing up in the 1960s, Trottier wanted to be like his idol Jean Béliveau. When he was learning to skate, his father would clear out the dam on the creek across their home with a machete, to create a surface to practice on.8

As a child, Trottier played for the Climax Hockey Team in Climax, Saskatchewan. He joined the Swift Current Broncos in 1972. It was with the Broncos that he met Tiger Williams, who he credited with teaching key lessons (such as fighting) to Trottier. In one instance, a homesick Trottier was debating on quitting hockey, even planning to go back to school after having arrived back home for Christmas. Williams arrived at his house and insisted on him coming back with to the Broncos, which worked out for Trottier, who credited him as making hockey become fun again.9108 In that season, Trottier recorded 157 total points in 135 games. Playing with the Lethbridge Broncos in the 1974–75 WCHL season. he had 46 goals and 98 assists in 67 games and was named league MVP.1112

Playing career

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."1617 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.19202122 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.2324 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

Coaching and executive career

Trottier in 2008 source ↗

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.2930 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.313233

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.3536

Legacy

Steve Yzerman considered Trottier his favourite player, donning the number 19 in his honour (incidentally, Trottier had chosen the number originally in part because of another famous number 19 with Paul Henderson, who wrote it in the 1972 Summit Series). 3738

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

Lingering bitterness over how his Islanders tenure ended precluded Trottier's number from being honored by the Islanders organization for a few years; it was speculated that Trottier was looking to be compensated to attend a pre-game ceremony, although Trottier denied that claim. A March 2001 meeting with team owner Charles Wang led to a subsequent announcement in August that Trottier's jersey would be retired.40 The retirement ceremony was held on October 20, 2001 prior to the game against the San Jose Sharks; Trottier was the sixth Islander to have his jersey retired.4142

As of 2025, Trottier sits 13th all-time with 182 playoff points (71 goals and 111 assists) in 221 games played.43 Trottier is currently ranked 19th all-time in NHL regular-season points. He is the Islanders' all-time career leader in assists and points, for the regular season and playoffs. In 2023, the New York Post named Trottier as the third best player in team history behind Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin.44 In 2023, The Athletic named him the 23rd greatest player in modern NHL history.4546

Personal life

Trottier has four children from two marriages. One of his sons, Dr. Bryan Trottier Jr, became a hematology/oncologist specialist in Minnesota.4748 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.49 Following his retirement from playing, Trottier played for the Pittsburgh Phantoms of the Roller Hockey International league in its 1994 season.50 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.49

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.51

Playing statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1972–73 Swift Current Broncos WCHL 67 16 29 45 10 — — — — —
1973–74 Swift Current Broncos WCHL 68 41 71 112 76 13 7 8 15 8
1974–75 Lethbridge Broncos WCHL 67 46 98 144 103 6 2 5 7 14
1975–76 New York Islanders NHL 80 32 63 95 21 13 1 7 8 8
1976–77 New York Islanders NHL 76 30 42 72 34 12 2 8 10 2
1977–78 New York Islanders NHL 77 46 77 123 46 7 0 3 3 4
1978–79 New York Islanders NHL 76 47 87 134 50 10 2 4 6 13
1979–80 New York Islanders NHL 78 42 62 104 68 21 12 17 29 16
1980–81 New York Islanders NHL 73 31 72 103 74 18 11 18 29 34
1981–82 New York Islanders NHL 80 50 79 129 88 19 6 23 29 40
1982–83 New York Islanders NHL 80 34 55 89 68 17 8 12 20 18
1983–84 New York Islanders NHL 68 40 71 111 59 21 8 6 14 29
1984–85 New York Islanders NHL 68 28 31 59 47 10 4 2 6 8
1985–86 New York Islanders NHL 78 37 59 96 72 3 1 1 2
1986–87 New York Islanders NHL 80 23 64 87 50 14 8 4 12 12
1987–88 New York Islanders NHL 77 30 52 82 48 6 0 0 0 10
1988–89 New York Islanders NHL 73 17 28 45 44 — — — — —
1989–90 New York Islanders NHL 59 13 11 24 29 4 1 0 1 4
1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 52 9 19 28 24 23 3 4 7 29
1991–92 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 63 11 18 29 54 21 4 3 7 8
1993–94 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 41 4 11 15 36 2 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 1,279 524 901 1,425 912 221 71 112 183 277

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1975 Canada WJC 7 5 2 7 —
1981 Canada CC 7 3 8 11 6
1984 United States CC 6 2 3 5 8
Junior totals 7 5 2 7 —
Senior totals 13 5 11 16 14

Coaching statistics

Team Year Regular season Postseason
G W L T OTL Pts Finish W L Win % Result
NYR 2002–03 54 21 26 6 1 (49) (fired) — — — —
Total 54 21 26 6 1     — — —  

Awards

Records and achievements

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
See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Legends of Hockey – The Legends – Honoured Player – Trottier, Bryan". Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. The Learning Edge Corporation. 2001–2007. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  2. "NHL Records". records.nhl.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  3. "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  4. "SABRES ADD FOUR TO NOLAN'S COACHING STAFF". Buffalo Sabres. August 4, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  5. Shea, Kevin. "Bryan Trottier's journal". Hockey Hall of Fame. Kevin Shea. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  6. "Trottier shares thoughts on indigenous upbringing with NHL.com". NHL.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  7. Barnsley, Paul. "Hockey all-time great is proud of his Aboriginal heritage". Wind Speaker. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017.
  8. Trottier, Bryan (November 23, 2015). "Letter to My Younger Self". The Player's Tribune. Player's Tribune. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  9. "HOW TIGER SAVED BRYAN, AND OTHER STORIES". Slap Shot Diaries. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  10. Dolan, Michael. "Bryan Trottier | The Hall of Fame center on leaving home to play hockey, rooming with Jaromir Jagr, and how Tiger Williams saved his career". athletesquarterly.com. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  11. Cory Toth - Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. "The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | Details". Esask.uregina.ca. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  12. "Bryan Trottier". CHL.ca. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  13. Cruickshank, Scott (June 23, 2016). "Scott Cruickshank: Hockey legend Bryan Trottier remembers well his draft day(s)". Calgary Herald.
  14. nyislanderslegends
  15. "Three Islanders Unto Themselves". CNN. December 12, 1977. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.
  16. Barnes, Mike (July 12, 1984). "New York Islanders' center Bryan Trottier appreciates playing hockey..." UPI. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  17. "Trottier's A Marked Man In The Canada Cup". The Hockey News. September 14, 1984. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  18. Fox, Luke. "Bryan Trottier is your daddy's Jonathan Toews". sportsnet.ca. Rogers Media. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  19. "This Day in Isles History: Feb. 13". NHL.com. February 12, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  20. "500th Goals - Milestones | NHL Records". NHL Records. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  21. "Bryan Trottier 1989-90 Game Log". Hockey Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  22. "Brian Trottier Stats and News". NHL. National Hockey League. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  23. Calabria, Pat (October 14, 1990). "Bryan Trottier Is Warming to Pittsburgh". The Los Angeles Times.
  24. Cyrgalis, Brett (January 17, 2015). "Why Trottier decided to bury the hatchet with the Islanders". New York Post.
  25. "Bryan Trottier 1990-91 Game Log". Hockey Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  26. "Bryan Trottier 1991-92 Game Log". Hockey Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  27. "For combined seasons, up to 1993-94, playing skater, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points". Stathead. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  28. Hoppe, Bill (July 29, 2014). "Report: Sabres hire Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier as assistant coach". Buffalo Hockey Beat.
  29. Brooks, Larry (June 5, 2002). "TROTTIER TO COACH RANGERS".
  30. Dellapina, John (June 7, 2002). "RANGERS SURE THAT TROTTIER IS ANSWER". New York Daily News.
  31. Brooks, Larry (January 30, 2003). "FAILURE REACHED ALL LEVELS". New York Post.
  32. "Bryan Trottier NHL & WHA Hockey Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. July 17, 1956. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  33. "Slumping Rangers fire Trottier after 54 games". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 29, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  34. Grossman, Evan (June 1, 2006). "ISLES TURN TO TROTTIER". New York Post. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  35. "Report: Buffalo Sabres Sign Bryan Trottier as Assistant Coach". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  36. "Sabres fire head coach Ted Nolan, three assistants". SI.com. April 12, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  37. Falkner, Mark (March 18, 2023). "Yzerman's boyhood hero Trottier writes book on leadership, winning hockey". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  38. Wharnsby, Tim (April 26, 2016). "Bryan Trottier joins admirer Steve Yzerman in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame". CBC.ca.
  39. "Legends of Hockey – Induction Showcase – Mario Lemieux". Bryan John Trottier, Player Category, Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. The Learning Edge Corporation. 2001–2007. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  40. Berman, Marc (August 7, 2001). "TROTTIER'S 19 TO BE RETIRED". New York Post.
  41. "This Day in Isles History: Oct. 20". NHL.com. October 19, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  42. "Trottier's No. 19 retired unceremoniously". CBC.ca. January 17, 2001. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  43. NHL Playoff Skater Records: Most Points, Playoff Career – NHL.com
  44. Brooks, Larry (April 12, 2023). "Ranking best players in Islanders' 50-year history: Nos. 1-20". New York Post. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  45. Masisak, Corey (January 5, 2023). "NHL99: Bryan Trottier's lifelong passion for music is a window into his success". The Athletic.
  46. "NHL99: A project ranking the greatest players in modern NHL history". The Athletic. February 8, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  47. Lane, Jon (November 11, 2022). "Trottier cherishes memories after losing Islanders teammates to cancer". NHL.com.
  48. "About - Bryan Trottier". bryantrottier.com. Bryan Trottier. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  49. Spiker, Brianne (October 27, 2022). "Hall of Famer Trottier reminisces on his illustrious life in new memoir". TSN.ca.
  50. Vensel, Matt (August 20, 2019). "25 years later, remembering the summer of the Pittsburgh Phantoms". Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
  51. Goh, ZK (January 31, 2024). "Gangwon 2024: USA reclaim Youth Olympics men's ice hockey gold with 4-0 shutout win over Czechia". Olympics. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  52. "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame". sportshall.ca. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  53. "Indigenous athletes inducted into SK Sports Hall of Fame". eaglefeathernews.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  54. "Inductee Directory". Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
External links