New York Islanders: Confirmed with link : Barry Trotz Islanders Head Coach

[PWJunior]

Look at Zeeker's face, haha. Team morale is flowing like a tsunami right now. Love it.

 

[SI90]

Look at Zeeker's face, haha. Team morale is flowing like a tsunami right now. Love it.

It’s so great to see. I actually caught this live and mentioned it in the GDT last night.

This team is so close and playing team hockey. Gotta love it.

 

[periferal]

We’ve literally been saying this all year! Lol where have you been!?

No matter how much it's said...It's never said enough.

 

[Lame Lambert]

Confirmed with Fresh Tide Smell: Barry Trotz Islanders Head Coach

 

[periferal]

If this doesn’t scream great coach I don’t know what does. We got “worse” paper and were a much better team than last year.

 

[periferal]

Imagine if we signed this guy in 2014 instead of extending Snow’s idiot yes man. We probably would have made the ECF in 15 or 16.

If you ever tried to argue capuano "just needs a bit more time" you either...

1. Don't understand how to rate coaches.
2. Don't have Cup caliber aspirations for the Islanders.

 

[periferal]

Slightly misleading, since we've also played 2 fewer games than those teams. Should use goals against per games played to level that out, where we're behind all three teams listed here, though still 4th overall in the league. Also, the stats listed here include the extra goal from shoot out losses. We've only allowed 98 real goals, which actually does lead the league (Nashville is 2nd with 100 goals against).

Still though, that's a heck of an improvement, and both Trotz and Lou deserves a mountain of credit for making such a huge turnaround. If we maintain our current pace, we'll give up over 75 fewer goals than last season. That's damn near as impressive as Arbour reducing the Islanders' goals against by 100 goals in his first season here.

Seph-

I think you split the finest of hairs...Only to glue them back together.

Stats don't need to be dissected to that level when the point here is that coaching matters...And in the case of Trotz makes a massive difference.

 

[periferal]

I'm not being negative, but getting rid of the previous staff is just as significant as bringing in Trotz and co.

This was a good hockey team with the worst coaches in the league.
This is still a good hockey team, but now have the best coaches.

Now we need Lou to turn this into a great hockey team so we can finally have some real fun...

No - Getting rid of snow was more important than any of it. snow hires guys like capuano and weight. Lou hires guys who win Cups.

Been banging my head on the wall here throughout the wang/snow era saying the standards around here weren't high enough. Seems like Ledecky/Malkin get it, but clear snow/wang never could.

 

[Seph]

Seph-

I think you split the finest of hairs...Only to glue them back together.

Stats don't need to be dissected to that level when the point here is that coaching matters...And in the case of Trotz makes a massive difference.

I don't like misleading/misused facts; it's what leads people to distrust them. Even when it doesn't change the overall takeaway, it still pays to use facts correctly.

 

[periferal]

I don't like misleading/misused facts; it's what leads people to distrust them. Even when it doesn't change the overall takeaway, it still pays to use facts correctly.

I can respect that and I love detail, but if that's your philosophy I think there are a 100 posts here daily that need a lot more "correcting" than that one did.

 

[Seph]

I can respect that and I love detail, but if that's your philosophy I think there are a 100 posts here daily that need a lot more "correcting" than that one did.

Most of those are opinions, though.

 

[periferal]

Most of those are opinions, though.

Are you saying that some opinions aren't incorrect?

 

[Seph]

Are you saying that some opinions aren't incorrect?

I'm saying I don't treat them the same way I treat facts.

 

[Le Grec]

No - Getting rid of snow was more important than any of it. snow hires guys like capuano and weight. Lou hires guys who win Cups.

Been banging my head on the wall here throughout the wang/snow era saying the standards around here weren't high enough. Seems like Ledecky/Malkin get it, but clear snow/wang never could.

Well, if you want to go there...Wang leaving is the most important move...

 

[Le Grec]

If you ever tried to argue capuano "just needs a bit more time" you either...

1. Don't understand how to rate coaches.
2. Don't have Cup caliber aspirations for the Islanders.

I never understood how some couldn't understand how much damage Capuano was doing to the team...

 

[MJF]

Confirmed with Fresh Tide Smell: Barry Trotz Islanders Head Coach

 

[MJF]

Well, if you want to go there...Wang leaving is the most important move...

The fish stunk from the head down. Charles Wang ran his team into the ground. This can’t be stated enough.

In the chapter of the textbook entitled “How to Ruin a Pro Sports Franchise” Charles Wang is one of the examples cited.

 

[Phil120362]

The fish stunk from the head down. Charles Wang ran his team into the ground. This can’t be stated enough.

In the chapter of the textbook entitled “How to Ruin a Pro Sports Franchise” Charles Wang is one of the examples cited.

That actually was started by the milstein group,Don Maloney was the hatchet man.the league wanted Florida to be good quickly,forget iced a team that got to a scf in 3 yrs,and butthurt Bergman got his rangers a cup in the meantime

 

[Phil120362]

That actually was started by the milstein group,Don Maloney was the hatchet man.the league wanted Florida to be good quickly,forget iced a team that got to a scf in 3 yrs,and ******** Bergman got his rangers a cup in the meantime

Hell,Bettman,was.prolly still crying when we knocked off the pens in 93,lol,shades of 49ers threepeat trash

 

[PWJunior]

It’s so great to see. I actually caught this live and mentioned it in the GDT last night.

This team is so close and playing team hockey. Gotta love it.

This team has such a Major League feel to it - maybe because I've seen it like 10 times this month on Showtime. Haha.

Wild Thing - Ho-Sang - once he got those glasses...
Willie Mays Hayes - Barzal - 'You may run like Mays, but you hit like shit.'
Pedro Cerrano - Uncle Leo - obvious, the guy is a character. 'Hats for bats, gracias.'
Roger Dorn - Ladd - working on becoming an interior decorator.
Jake Taylor - Lee - the leader of this group of misfits.
Harry Doyle - do I even have to say it? Loves the sauce, just like Butch.
Rachel Phelps - has to be Judas since he's a lying POS. Could also be his girl since she's the one who has the balls and wears the pants in the family. Group package is better.
Lou Brown - Trotz - this is a slam dunk.
Charlie Donovan - CHRIS Lamiorello
Eddie Harris - Boychuk - the grizzled vet. Not a perfect one, but close.
Lynn Wells - Shannon - won't elaborate, Bones can do that in his mind when he's cleaning his wet bed sheets.

I could probably go on, but you get the picture.

As I think about it more, this could be a great Avatar theme for the season.

 

[Axel574]

This team has such a Major League feel to it - maybe because I've seen it like 10 times this month on Showtime. Haha.

Wild Thing - Ho-Sang - once he got those glasses...
Willie Mays Hayes - Barzal - 'You may run like Mays, but you hit like ****.'
Pedro Cerrano - Uncle Leo - obvious, the guy is a character. 'Hats for bats, gracias.'
Roger Dorn - Ladd - working on becoming an interior decorator.
Jake Taylor - Lee - the leader of this group of misfits.
Harry Doyle - do I even have to say it? Loves the sauce, just like Butch.
Rachel Phelps - has to be Judas since he's a lying POS. Could also be his girl since she's the one who has the balls and wears the pants in the family. Group package is better.
Lou Brown - Trotz - this is a slam dunk.
Charlie Donovan - CHRIS Lamiorello
Eddie Harris - Boychuk - the grizzled vet. Not a perfect one, but close.
Lynn Wells - Shannon - won't elaborate, Bones can do that in his mind when he's cleaning his wet bed sheets.

I could probably go on, but you get the picture.

As I think about it more, this could be a great Avatar theme for the season.

Ha... I like it but I'd put Pulock down as Wild Thing. He's got a great fastball, just can't hit the strike zone.

 

[PWJunior]

Ha... I like it but I'd put Pulock down as Wild Thing. He's got a great fastball, just can't hit the strike zone.

I did initially think of him because of the heater, but I think Ho-Sang fits better because his game took off once he learned to play defense... kind of like when Vaughn first wears those glasses. Either one works.

 

[SI90]

This team has such a Major League feel to it - maybe because I've seen it like 10 times this month on Showtime. Haha.

Wild Thing - Ho-Sang - once he got those glasses...
Willie Mays Hayes - Barzal - 'You may run like Mays, but you hit like ****.'
Pedro Cerrano - Uncle Leo - obvious, the guy is a character. 'Hats for bats, gracias.'
Roger Dorn - Ladd - working on becoming an interior decorator.
Jake Taylor - Lee - the leader of this group of misfits.
Harry Doyle - do I even have to say it? Loves the sauce, just like Butch.
Rachel Phelps - has to be Judas since he's a lying POS. Could also be his girl since she's the one who has the balls and wears the pants in the family. Group package is better.
Lou Brown - Trotz - this is a slam dunk.
Charlie Donovan - CHRIS Lamiorello
Eddie Harris - Boychuk - the grizzled vet. Not a perfect one, but close.
Lynn Wells - Shannon - won't elaborate, Bones can do that in his mind when he's cleaning his wet bed sheets.

I could probably go on, but you get the picture.

As I think about it more, this could be a great Avatar theme for the season.

 

[Hockey Sock]

Thanks Trotz.

 

[CodeE]

Anyone read the latest 31 thoughts released today? Lot of Trotz talk.

There will be more from Barry Trotz later in the blog, but last weekend I asked him about a comparison between this situation in Dallas and last season in Washington, where it became clear he was not the preferred long-term coaching choice.

“I would say to (Benn and Seguin) that the most important thing is you focus on how you play, not what people perceive you to be,” he answered. “Don’t be defined by this. It’s a tough one, because what was said is hurtful to you, so it’s hard to enjoy playing. But you have to take your anger and be positive. It can’t kill you, but it can make your life harder, so you have to have the right attitude. Stick it up their ass, you can use it in a positive way. Play above it.”

As surprising as Vancouver’s burst is, it’s probably second to the Islanders’. When John Tavares left, no one was expecting much, but they are two points back of Buffalo and Montreal for the Eastern wild card spots with games in hand. Some of their players indicated they were pleasantly surprised to see how things were structured under Lou Lamoriello and Trotz.

“I’m a builder, I saw this as a great challenge,” Trotz said hours before the Islanders shut out the Maple Leafs in Toronto. “I told them I just experienced winning a championship, and I wanted them to have the same experience. The way you do that is you play as a team, with accountability, structure and work ethic. With Lou Lamoriello, everything is about winning. They saw how organized and detailed we were. We told them defence can be fixed, if you are willing to sacrifice the cheating in your game. All the guys bought in.”

When did he notice they realized it could work? “We beat Pittsburgh twice,” Trotz answered. Those were back-to-back games, 6-3 on Oct. 30 and 3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 1. The Penguins weren’t going great at the time, but they are still the Penguins.

“When John left, the others understood they needed each other if they were going to win.” He likes Nelson, given a bigger role. Same for Josh Bailey. Johnny Boychuk is “our pillar, a great sounding board and Anders Lee does everything the right way.” Then there is Mathew Barzal, who had a hat trick against the Maple Leafs. “He was trying too hard to be John’s replacement. Overhandling the puck. Too much one-on-one. But it’s part of growth. We knew he was going to be okay.”

Trotz on his 2018: “I’ll always remember the journey of winning. I was not going to be defined by winning a Stanley Cup. It’s the same thing I said to (Alexander Ovechkin): Never stop chasing. I call it the year of enlightenment. It’s a whole life thing, the importance of giving you my best. That’s not going to change. I’m going to enjoy this journey, too.”

The Islanders will have some interesting decisions to make, with Barzal eligible for an extension on July 1. Unrestricted free agents include Nelson, Lee, Jordan Eberle, Valtteri Filppula, and Robin Lehner. Not that under Lamoriello we’ll be getting a lot of updates. Many of Tavares’ old linemates suffered through a serious drop in production after leaving but, so far, Lee is an exception. Heading into last weekend, his points per game was up from 0.7 alongside Tavares, to 0.75. He’ll be 29 in July, a problem in the now-ageist world of sports, but they know his importance.

Lamoriello and Trotz put Filppula and Leo Komorov around Josh Ho-Sang in the dressing room. I’d heard he had an assigned seat on the plane next to Komarov, too, but that’s not confirmed. Whatever the case, putting those two together is a great idea. The young Toronto players swore by Komarov.