Barry Trotz

Barry Trotz perfectly sums up what changed in Alex Ovechkin to lead the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup

Three Jack Adams Award-winning coaches, the Panthers’Joel Quenneville, the Oilers’ Dave Tippett, and the Islanders’ head coach Barry Trotz, were interviewed by the NHL’s senior vice president of communications, John Dellapina, on Friday.

Connected via video conference, the coaches spoke about how they were doing during the coronavirus pandemic and what they were doing to prepare if the suspended 2019-20 season ever resumes. They also shared some fun stories from their long coaching careers.

At the 30-minute and 18-second mark, Dellapina remarked to Trotz that if you took a vote in 2014, a lot of people might have said that Alex Ovechkin was the hardest player to coach in the NHL. Trotz agreed with Dellapina that Ovechkin was “misunderstood.” He also spoke with nuance about how he challenged Ovechkin behind-the-scenes and what The Great 8 did to finally break through and win the Stanley Cup during his 13th season in the NHL.

(more…)

Barry Trotz on Alex Ovechkin: ‘I loved the way he’s grown away from the game’

Alex Ovechkin is a three-time MVP, a Stanley Cup champion, and one of the greatest goalscorers of all time. But what’s impressed Barry Trotz the most about Ovi is just how much The Great Eight has grown as a person during the latter stages of his career.

While being interviewed on Sportsnet’s Hockey Central Thursday, the New York Islanders head coach was asked if he preferred coaching teams that have a superstar or not. The question gave Trotz an opportunity to elaborate about his time with Ovi in DC.

(more…)