Barry Trotz caught up with Alex Ovechkin and received a hero’s welcome in Nashville on Thursday night.
The Predators inducted their inaugural head coach and former general manager into the franchise’s Golden Hall. The event had perfect timing, as it coincided with Ovechkin’s farewell tour stop at Bridgestone Arena and the Washington Capitals’ only game in Nashville this season.
The ceremony featured a tribute video celebrating Trotz’s contributions to the organization, followed by former Predators general manager David Poile presenting him with a ceremonial gold jacket. Fans at Bridgestone Arena chanted Trotz’s name throughout as he became the sixth member of Nashville’s esteemed group.
In an emotional acceptance speech, Trotz thanked the organization and its fans for embracing him throughout his career.
Barry Trotz’s Golden Hall induction (Full video)
Trotz said in his address to the crowd:
Thank you so much. Thank you. I’ve been blessed to work with three wonderful organizations and two are here tonight. I’m honored and humbled to be inducted into the Golden Hall and stand beside Predator greats like David Poile, Shea Weber, Pekka Rinne, Terry Crisp, Peter Weber. It’s an honor. I personally would like to thank David Poile, for believing in me, giving me an opportunity back in 1997 to be part of such a great franchise and be part of this great city. Without his leadership, I don’t know if we’re here today.
A big thank you to my wife Kim and my family for all their sacrifices, support, and most of all, love. I’d like to thank the ownership, management, for their unwavering support through the years, and especially all the players, coaches, trainers, support staff, for all you’ve done, for all our success that we’ve had and shared together. And finally, you fans and friends, for making Smashville my home, I love you. I love you all. God bless.
Trotz then got an opportunity to participate in a ceremonial puck drop between Predators captain Roman Josi and Ovechkin.
“Both of you guys are my favorite guys,” Trotz said before dropping the puck. “You know that right?”
He then hugged each player and told Ovechkin, “Love ya, bud.”
Trotz, a former bench boss in the minor leagues for the Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates, was hired as the first head coach in Nashville Predators history in 1997, a year before the expansion franchise began play. He spent 15 seasons behind the team’s bench, helping build Nashville into a competitive NHL market while accumulating 557 victories in 1,196 games. Under his leadership, the Predators reached the playoffs seven times, made their first postseason appearance in 2004, and won their first playoff series in 2011.
After leaving Nashville in 2014, Trotz joined the Capitals, where he spent four seasons coaching Alex Ovechkin, won his first Jack Adams Award in 2016, and helped the team reach new heights in his final year. The Capitals posted a 205-89-34 record under Trotz, winning two Presidents’ Trophies and three consecutive Metropolitan Division titles. Ovechkin scored an NHL-leading 185 goals during that span, including 53 in 2014-15, 50 in 2015-16, and 49 in 2017-18. Trotz ultimately guided the Capitals to its first Stanley Cup championship in 2018, his final year with the club.
Trotz then gleft the Capitals and spent four seasons coaching the New York Islanders from 2018 to 2022, earning his second Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in 2019 and guiding the team to back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and 2021. He finished his NHL coaching career with 914 regular-season victories, the fifth-most in league history.
In 2023, Trotz returned to Nashville as the franchise’s second general manager, succeeding longtime executive David Poile. He held the position for three seasons before stepping down in June 2026, transitioning into an advisory role with the organization.
“Barry Trotz is synonymous with the Nashville Predators,” Poile said when the induction was announced in September. “When you consider the history of our franchise, it is impossible to not think of the work Barry did to help lay the foundation for what the Predators are today – he made our game accessible to our community while dedicating himself to putting a successful team on the ice. But, his place in our history goes beyond what he did as a head coach and GM. Few people have done more for the Nashville community over the years than Barry has, and that connection with our fanbase makes him beloved to this day.”
Trotz, after telling NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that “I want to see the Big Man”, got his chance to do so pregame and left with a gift.
Ovechkin and Tom Wilson, the two remaining players in DC from the 2018 championship team, presented Trotz with a custom bottle of wine.
“I look like a five-year-old between you two guys,” Trotz joked as they took a photo together.
As the three caught up, the former Capitals’ bench boss talked to Ovechkin about his two children, Sergei and Ilya.
“They’re playing hockey. Both lefties. Yeah, no righties… (They’re) shooting pucks all the time,” Ovechkin said.
“Following dad’s footsteps, eh?” Trotz replied.
“Probably, yeah,” Ovechkin said, gushing.
Trotz and Josi then gave Ovechkin a personalized guitar to commemorate his final NHL appearance in Nashville.
“I always say Ovi was a good teammate,” Trotz told NHL.com. “He’s pretty grounded for a megastar, and I think what stood out is he’s extremely likable… He makes the game fun and he has personality.”
He added, “The one thing when I’ll see him is I want to make sure he enjoys it. There’s sort of a sadness to it because you’re leaving something that you love, but at the same time, you want to be in the moment so that you can enjoy it.”
Trotz is still giving Ovechkin coaching — even in retirement.
