Question about Bryan Trottier

[Sidney the Kidney]

Isles fans, maybe you could clear something up for me about Trottier.

I was browsing through hockey-reference.com and decided to look up Trottier's career stats. I noticed that he seemed to just hit a wall offensively after age 31, when his production dropped dramatically from 82 points to 45 points.

What was the cause of this? Wear and tear on his body or did he suffer an injury that kind of hampered him after age 31?

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[MJF]

Isles fans, maybe you could clear something up for me about Trottier.

I was browsing through hockey-reference.com and decided to look up Trottier's career stats. I noticed that he seemed to just hit a wall offensively after age 31, when his production dropped dramatically from 82 points to 45 points.

What was the cause of this? Wear and tear on his body or did he suffer an injury that kind of hampered him after age 31?

By that point Mike Bossy had retired, Trots was banged up and was the 3rd line center behind LaFontaine and Brent Sutter. Quite frankly the team wasn't very good anymore. Look at the roster from that year. Our regular wingers after Derek King, David Volek, Mikko Makela, Pat Flatley were Rich Kromm, Brad Lauer, Greg Gilbert, Alan Kerr and Brad Dalgarno among others.

 

[Throttle]

By that point Mike Bossy had retired, Trots was banged up and was the 3rd line center behind LaFontaine and Brent Sutter. Quite frankly the team wasn't very good anymore. Look at the roster from that year. Our regular wingers after Derek King, David Volek, Mikko Makela, Pat Flatley were Rich Kromm, Brad Lauer, Greg Gilbert, Alan Kerr and Brad Dalgarno among others.

Dalgarno and Kind were 1st rounders. Lauer was a 2nd. Building through the draft...

 

[CupHolders]

Isles fans, maybe you could clear something up for me about Trottier.

I was browsing through hockey-reference.com and decided to look up Trottier's career stats. I noticed that he seemed to just hit a wall offensively after age 31, when his production dropped dramatically from 82 points to 45 points.

What was the cause of this? Wear and tear on his body or did he suffer an injury that kind of hampered him after age 31?

Hey, if I remember correctly I think I brought this Bryan Trottier topic up with you on another post. Can’t remember why.

Along with what you already mentioned and what was brought up above... another thing to consider is that Potvin retired that offseason. Isles lost an all purpose D-man who the year before put up 50 points and was over +20

EDIT: Just remembered something else. I believe he also went through some personal issues a divorce and bankruptcy.

 

[CupHolders]

By that point Mike Bossy had retired, Trots was banged up and was the 3rd line center behind LaFontaine and Brent Sutter. Quite frankly the team wasn't very good anymore. Look at the roster from that year. Our regular wingers after Derek King, David Volek, Mikko Makela, Pat Flatley were Rich Kromm, Brad Lauer, Greg Gilbert, Alan Kerr and Brad Dalgarno among others.

Mikko Makela has since admitted to having alcohol and drug dependency during his playing career. That in-of-itself was unfortunate, but especially when you see how it lead to such an impact on his career.

He had such an awesome skill set with size. Put up near 80 points at a young age... then was out of the league shortly after.

Makela and Vladimir Makakhov always stand out to me as players that failed to meet their enormous skill sets.

 

[boredmale]

Isles fans, maybe you could clear something up for me about Trottier.

I was browsing through hockey-reference.com and decided to look up Trottier's career stats. I noticed that he seemed to just hit a wall offensively after age 31, when his production dropped dramatically from 82 points to 45 points.

What was the cause of this? Wear and tear on his body or did he suffer an injury that kind of hampered him after age 31?

Back in the 70s and 80s, being 30+ years old was over the hill. A few players broke that trend(Phil Esposito and Marcel Dionne come to mind) but most players seem to hit the wall soon after 30.

Starting the late 80s/early 90s it seems player took conditioning and training in the off season more serious

 

[Uncle Duke]

Dalgarno and Kind were 1st rounders. Lauer was a 2nd. Building through the draft...

Toews, Kane, Keith. Crosby, Malkin, Letang. Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson. Point, Kucherov, Hedman. All drafted by the teams they won Cups for. Two of them 3x Cup winners in under 10 years. The cores of championship teams are built and not bought. This is the history of the NHL. And they're definitely not bought when you have to overpay just for middling talent.

A ridiculous comment, even if made in jest. Except it wasn't.

It's pretty simple, bad organizations draft badly and great organizations draft well. That is, if they have draft picks.

 

[Uncle Duke]

Back in the 70s and 80s, being 30+ years old was over the hill. A few players broke that trend(Phil Esposito and Marcel Dionne come to mind) but most players seem to hit the wall soon after 30.

Starting the late 80s/early 90s it seems player took conditioning and training in the off season more serious

A direct result of true free agency kicking in mid-90's and a salaries skyrocketing. Started to make sense to hang around as long as possible.

 

[NC 1972]

Isles fans, maybe you could clear something up for me about Trottier.

I was browsing through hockey-reference.com and decided to look up Trottier's career stats. I noticed that he seemed to just hit a wall offensively after age 31, when his production dropped dramatically from 82 points to 45 points.

What was the cause of this? Wear and tear on his body or did he suffer an injury that kind of hampered him after age 31?

Yes all those things MJF said above. Keep in mind the league was much more physical back then Trottier came in at 19 years of age and from the start he never backed down.
He was a force not just a playmaker and goal scorer but he loved the physical part of the game you could see it in his eyes a very passionate leader. Not being a big man this certainly played a role in his decline, but Pittsburg saw value in his game and it brought him two more rings.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

He played back when players and goalies sucked. Then they stopped sucking, and Trottier sucked.

 

[Olliemets]

Makela and Vladimir Makakhov always stand out to me as players that failed to meet their enormous skill sets.

Malakhov was an incredible talent. He had the ability to just beat teams and go coast to coast easily. He never realized his potential but I'm STILL furious with Maloney over that franchise wrecking trade.

 

[Olliemets]

I still remember the hit Trots put on Bob Gainey in the 84 Playoffs. Blindside and flattened him and Gainey was a solid as they come. Would probably be suspended today for that kind of hit, but it showed how fearless he was in throwing his body around.

 

[thedonger]

Toews, Kane, Keith. Crosby, Malkin, Letang. Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson. Point, Kucherov, Hedman. All drafted by the teams they won Cups for. Two of them 3x Cup winners in under 10 years. The cores of championship teams are built and not bought. This is the history of the NHL. And they're definitely not bought when you have to overpay just for middling talent.

A ridiculous comment, even if made in jest. Except it wasn't.

It's pretty simple, bad organizations draft badly and great organizations draft well. That is, if they have draft picks.

not that i have a dog in this fight, but you can add in quick, kopitar, brown and doughty as well.

 

[PK Cronin]

I still remember the hit Trots put on Bob Gainey in the 84 Playoffs. Blindside and flattened him and Gainey was a solid as they come. Would probably be suspended today for that kind of hit, but it showed how fearless he was in throwing his body around.

I just watched it, that definitely would've been a suspension today. He leapt into Gainey and was given a 5 minute major for that hit.

 

[MJF]

He played back when players and goalies sucked. Then they stopped sucking, and Trottier sucked.

He sucked his way to 6 rings and the Hall of Fame.

Malakhov was an incredible talent. He had the ability to just beat teams and go coast to coast easily. He never realized his potential but I'm STILL furious with Maloney over that franchise wrecking trade.

Don Maloney should be rat poisoned for what he did to our roster.

I just watched it, that definitely would've been a suspension today. He leapt into Gainey and was given a 5 minute major for that hit.

Yeah it was a different game back then. That's the game I grew up on and it's still the lens I occasionally view what should and should not be a penalty today.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Isles fans, maybe you could clear something up for me about Trottier.

I was browsing through hockey-reference.com and decided to look up Trottier's career stats. I noticed that he seemed to just hit a wall offensively after age 31, when his production dropped dramatically from 82 points to 45 points.

What was the cause of this? Wear and tear on his body or did he suffer an injury that kind of hampered him after age 31?

My memory is somewhat clear on this one. I think the emergence of Brent Sutter as a #1C was part of the reason for Trottier's decline in stats. Brent Sutter was the Center on the line of Team Canada that won the Canada Cup with Tonelli and Bossy on a very good line. With the success of that line in the Canada Cup, I think Sutter really showed he was capable of being a #1C or atleast 1B. I am sure this had an effect on Trottier's stats. I do recall Arbour using a Sutter, Bossy, Tonelli line which would have cut into Trottier's time with Bossy and Tonelli. Here is a very memorable moment of that series. Bossy scored the OT golden goal to win it.

 

[doublechili]

Malakhov was an incredible talent. He had the ability to just beat teams and go coast to coast easily. He never realized his potential but I'm STILL furious with Maloney over that franchise wrecking trade.

In addition to his other talents, Malakhov didn't fight much but I recall at least one time where he got good and mad and destroyed someone in a fight.

 

[CupHolders]

In addition to his other talents, Malakhov didn't fight much but I recall at least one time where he got good and mad and destroyed someone in a fight.

Joey Kocur, of all people. Granted, he was wearing his wedding ring.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

He sucked his way to 6 rings and the Hall of Fame.

Lol it was so easy to score then, Dal Colle would be a 50 goal scorer. Literally anyone that put on their underpants the right way could win a Cup.

 

[buud]

My memory is somewhat clear on this one. I think the emergence of Brent Sutter as a #1C was part of the reason for Trottier's decline in stats. Brent Sutter was the Center on the line of Team Canada that won the Canada Cup with Tonelli and Bossy on a very good line. With the success of that line in the Canada Cup, I think Sutter really showed he was capable of being a #1C or atleast 1B. I am sure this had an effect on Trottier's stats. I do recall Arbour using a Sutter, Bossy, Tonelli line which would have cut into Trottier's time with Bossy and Tonelli. Here is a very memorable moment of that series. Bossy scored the OT golden goal to win it.

Tonelli was such a bull, lol. a favorite of mine. top 5.

 

[Islanders4Cups]

Lol it was so easy to score then, Dal Colle would be a 50 goal scorer. Literally anyone that put on their underpants the right way could win a Cup.

Yeah, but only 6 organizations won a cup over a 23 year period between 1968-1990. So easy.

 

[MJF]

Joey Kocur, of all people. Granted, he was wearing his wedding ring.

Malakhov dropped Kocur in 3 punches and then rag dolled him behind our net. I remember that game. It was the first time I thought “damn if someone gets Vladi really mad he’s going to kill the guy”. Malakhov had a high threshold for tolerating bullshit.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Tonelli was such a bull, lol. a favorite of mine. top 5.

He had one to 2 years there, where he was one of the best blue collar wingers in the game. I recalled Sutter had 102 pts in the year he played with Bossy and Tonelli, but forgot Tonelli also had 100 pts. Bossy had 117 pts, what a line they were that year.

 

[CupHolders]

Malakhov dropped Kocur in 3 punches and then rag dolled him behind our net. I remember that game. It was the first time I thought “damn if someone gets Vladi really mad he’s going to kill the guy”. Malakhov had a high threshold for tolerating bullshit.

That 1993 team was filled with such good characters... which inevitably leads to great stories. One such that I remember was how Ray Ferraro took advantage of Malakhov’s inability to speak English.

Ferraro would call him “Big Dummy.” Malakhov, didn’t know what he was saying but would smile out of politeness.

Eventually, his teammates let Malakhov in on what Ferraro was doing so they could prank him back. So Malakhov confronted Ferraro (In Ivan Drago mode) with something to the effect of...

“I speak English and understand ‘Big Dummy! I kill you now little mustache man!”

 

[CupHolders]

@Sidney the Kidney.

Here is a Players’ Tribune article that really highlights how physically punishing hockey was for Trottier. A player who was 5’11” 190ish but played with a ferocity akin to a bigger Messier. I think it puts in perspective why players could seemingly breakdown the way they did back then.