What Happened to Bryan Trottier?

[Gunnar Stahl 30]

Looking at his point totals he seemed to drop off in the last years of being on the islanders then when he went to Pittsburgh they dropped considerably. admittedly ive never seen him play but why in his early 30s did his play drop off so much?

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[EventHorizon]

Well, his prime is on the fringes of my memory but what I do remember is that he was one of those "in the trenches" players. They tend to take more punishment and have shorter careers as a result.

 

[Big Phil]

He got old. I know what you mean, but when looking closer at his numbers it isn't that bad of a drop off.

In '87-88 he had 82 points. He was 32 in '88. After that he never had more than 45 although he was injured often. It was a changing of the guards. When the Isles were a dynasty he would rack up 100 points all the time. He did it 6 times in his career. But after their loss to the Oilers in '84 they slowly started to decline. After '88 they were a terrible team. When Trottier was on the Pens he played a role that was similar to say a Staal or a Talbot (although Talbot really came on in this year's postseason). That affected his point totals, but since he was still a great defensive player he always had a roster spot.

By the way this isn't abnormal. Look at guys like Modano, Goulet, Statsny, etc. All great players. They dropped off a bit once they hit 30, it happens.

 

[cjdv16]

I always thought he was older by the time his Islander career came to an end. You bring up a good point that he was only in his mid-30's.

If you look at both he and Bossy, and even Potvin to a degree, you've got to think that 5 straight years of playing deep into the playoffs took a major toll. In ways, I'd bet their time spent in the playoffs was equivalent to another season or two (not in terms of games necessarily, but in total considering games, intensity, physicality, stress, etc.).

 

[greatgazoo]

Players didn't look after themselves as well as they do today. Back then they'd use training camp to get into shape.

Give Trottier the same kind of off season regimen that players have to maintain today and he probably puts up much better numbers after age 30.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

It was pretty common for dynasty players to decline sharply around the time they hit 30. All that extra wear and tear and those short offseasons meant less time to recover.

Lafleur was in the same boat.

 

[BadHammy*]

Players didn't look after themselves as well as they do today. Back then they'd use training camp to get into shape.

Give Trottier the same kind of off season regimen that players have to maintain today and he probably puts up much better numbers after age 30.

Yup. Conditioning had to be a part of his decline. Happened plenty back then. Players rarely were effective past their early to mid 30s before the mid 90s.

 

[Trottier]

Looking at his point totals he seemed to drop off in the last years of being on the islanders then when he went to Pittsburgh they dropped considerably. admittedly ive never seen him play but why in his early 30s did his play drop off so much?

Check out how he played the game, nightly. Think: Forsberg-level of physical play. Not a single top-line (big minutes) forward today plays as consistently physical a game as did #19.

Check out how many playoff games he played through his 20s.

There is your answer.

By the time he helped the Pens win two Cups (for a personal total of six), he was a third-line checking center behind two other future Hall of Famers.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Check out how he played the game, nightly. Think: Forsberg-level of physical play. Not a single top-line (big minutes) forward today plays as consistently physical a game as did #19.

I wasn't old enough to see Trottier other than on highlight tapes, and I know the styles aren't directly comparable. But would you say that Trottier was more physical than Iginla, Getzlaf, Richards, Ovechkin? I would think that out of all of them Richards would be the best comparison given the size and position. Was Trottier really a lot more physical than him/them?

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

I wasn't old enough to see Trottier other than on highlight tapes, and I know the styles aren't directly comparable. But would you say that Trottier was more physical than Iginla, Getzlaf, Richards, Ovechkin? I would think that out of all of them Richards would be the best comparison given the size and position. Was Trottier really a lot more physical than him/them?

Yes. Ovechkin may dish out more highlight reel hits, but Trottier constantly at every chance bumped into guys with all the force he could muster. Overall more wear and tear on the body even if it never shows up on ESPN.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Well trotts was 36 when he retired and for 16 season or so he played a lot of games and that does take a toll on the body and injuries caught up with him. Despite what his stats say--in the playoffs he was an all around performer. At 5-11 he was not a big guy, but he was not afraid of the corners and open ice battles

 

[Gunnar Stahl 30]

thanks for all the responses. yea i guess winning 4 cups in a row can take a toll

 

[Poignant Discussion*]

I wasn't old enough to see Trottier other than on highlight tapes, and I know the styles aren't directly comparable. But would you say that Trottier was more physical than Iginla, Getzlaf, Richards, Ovechkin? I would think that out of all of them Richards would be the best comparison given the size and position. Was Trottier really a lot more physical than him/them?

Trottier was a warrior. A true 100 point in the trenches warrior who always brought a lunchbox to work with him. A warrior who left it all on the ice without the lack of respect that the present players seem to have. Yes Trotts would infuriate the other teams fans by rubbing out their star players on the boards or scoring the winning goal with 2 minutes left but without the sneaky beer league crap that most of the players have accepted as "part of the game now"

To compare players today to that era is impossible, the cheap shots and lack of respect negates some of the physical parts of their games. Richards is a decent comparison but Trott's was more skilled than him and way more productive. If Trotts played in the game today with the rules on interference he would have scored a ton more points. If he didn't win 6 Stanley cups his resume might have been more pretty as far as points, but somehow I don't think Trottier gave a rats ass about points and stats. He played each and every shift to win the Stanley Cup and that my friends is all that matters

 

[mrhockey193195]

Check out how he played the game, nightly. Think: Forsberg-level of physical play. Not a single top-line (big minutes) forward today plays as consistently physical a game as did #19.

Check out how many playoff games he played through his 20s.

There is your answer.

By the time he helped the Pens win two Cups (for a personal total of six), he was a third-line checking center behind two other future Hall of Famers.

Let's say Ron Francis isn't on those Pens teams, and they decide to put Trottier in as the second line center. How effective do you think he would have been at that point in his career?

He clearly was still a very effective checker, and perfect for the third line role, but do you think he still had it in him (esp. playing behind Mario) to put up 50 or 60 points in a regular season playing with good linemates (if he was called upon to play on the second line)?

 

[Big Phil]

Let's say Ron Francis isn't on those Pens teams, and they decide to put Trottier in as the second line center. How effective do you think he would have been at that point in his career?

Francis was a godsend IMO. I don't think Trottier could come close to what Francis accomplished. He was more of a role player at that time, not a complimentary offensive star. Even with good linemates I couldnt see that working. Francis was in his prime, Trottier was past it

 

[Trottier]

I wasn't old enough to see Trottier other than on highlight tapes, and I know the styles aren't directly comparable. But would you say that Trottier was more physical than Iginla, Getzlaf, Richards, Ovechkin? I would think that out of all of them Richards would be the best comparison given the size and position. Was Trottier really a lot more physical than him/them?

Each of those guys you mention are warriors, and play the game the way it was intended. But I've never seen a more consistently physical first line star. (Gordie Howe was before my time.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwkJcwa3OKo

Check out minutes 1:00 – 2:00. It will give you an idea of his hitting nightly. And, as you will see, he didn’t pick on the lesser players – here knocking #99 and Bobby Clarke on their butts.

Or, if you have two minutes, watch this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhb4KL52_RQ

The hit at 1:07, though it would be deemed a penalty in today’s NHL, is a thing of beauty.

No exaggeration: The guy brought this level of physical play to each game.

If he didn't win 6 Stanley cups his resume might have been more pretty as far as points, but somehow I don't think Trottier gave a rats ass about points and stats. He played each and every shift to win the Stanley Cup and that my friends is all that matters

Truer words never spoken.

From a recent Hockey News interview:

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/26501-Getting-To-Know-Bryan-Trottier.html

Greatest Sports Moment: "When Bobby Nystrom scored the overtime goal against Philadelphia (to clinch the Stanley Cup in 1980). When I became a champion for the first time....

Most Painful Moment: "Never really had a physical pain during the game. Emotionally – it was when we lost the Cup to Edmonton in 1984.

Here's a guy who scored more than 500 goals, at the time he retired was among the top 15 players ever in scoring, won the Calder, Hart, Art Ross and Conn Smyth Trophies....and not a word about any of that.

Team and Cups.

The only thing that matters.

 

[MS]

A few things :

1) Trottier was a very productive player until the age of 32, which during the 1980s was actually not an 'early decline' at all. Very few players born in the 1950-58 timeframe maintained their elite skills past age 32-34 or so.

For example, in 1988-89 his 45 points were actually the 4th-most in the NHL by anyone aged 32 or over (Stastny had 85 points, and Federko and Dave Taylor had 60-odd points) and only 5 forwards aged 32 or over had more than 30 points that season. Compare that with 2008-09, where 48 forwards aged 32 or older had 30 or more points!

2) His situation was a bit unique in that there was a future-HHOF #1 center in Pat Lafontaine entering his prime for NYI at the same time. And you had Brent Sutter, an elite two-way center on that team as well. From '88 onward, prime PP icetime on that team was a lot harder to come by for Trottier. If Lafontaine isn't on that team, he probably sees extra PP time for another season or two, and his decline looks more gradual.

3) Bossy retiring in '87 was a huge blow to Trottier's career as well.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Minnesota Goal

Each of those guys you mention are warriors, and play the game the way it was intended. But I've never seen a more consistently physical first line star. (Gordie Howe was before my time.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwkJcwa3OKo

Check out minutes 1:00 – 2:00. It will give you an idea of his hitting nightly. And, as you will see, he didn’t pick on the lesser players – here knocking #99 and Bobby Clarke on their butts.

Or, if you have two minutes, watch this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhb4KL52_RQ

The hit at 1:07, though it would be deemed a penalty in today’s NHL, is a thing of beauty.

No exaggeration: The guy brought this level of physical play to each game.



Truer words never spoken.

From a recent Hockey News interview:

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/26501-Getting-To-Know-Bryan-Trottier.html

Greatest Sports Moment: "When Bobby Nystrom scored the overtime goal against Philadelphia (to clinch the Stanley Cup in 1980). When I became a champion for the first time....

Most Painful Moment: "Never really had a physical pain during the game. Emotionally – it was when we lost the Cup to Edmonton in 1984.

Here's a guy who scored more than 500 goals, at the time he retired was among the top 15 players ever in scoring, won the Calder, Hart Art Ross and Conn Smyth Trophies....and not a word about any of that.

Team and Cups.

The only thing that matters.

The goal against Minnesota after fighting thru a hook at head level
reveals a lot.

 

[lextune]

If you look at both he and Bossy, and even Potvin to a degree, you've got to think that 5 straight years of playing deep into the playoffs took a major toll. In ways, I'd bet their time spent in the playoffs was equivalent to another season or two (not in terms of games necessarily, but in total considering games, intensity, physicality, stress, etc.).

Absolutely.

Let's say Ron Francis isn't on those Pens teams, and they decide to put Trottier in as the second line center. How effective do you think he would have been at that point in his career?

Trotts scores a little more, but the Pens don't win their Cups. Francis carried the Pens a couple of different times when Mario was out during their playoff runs.

 

[Dark Shadows]

A few things :

1) Trottier was a very productive player until the age of 32, which during the 1980s was actually not an 'early decline' at all. Very few players born in the 1950-58 timeframe maintained their elite skills past age 32-34 or so.

For example, in 1988-89 his 45 points were actually the 4th-most in the NHL by anyone aged 32 or over (Stastny had 85 points, and Federko and Dave Taylor had 60-odd points) and only 5 forwards aged 32 or over had more than 30 points that season. Compare that with 2008-09, where 48 forwards aged 32 or older had 30 or more points!

2) His situation was a bit unique in that there was a future-HHOF #1 center in Pat Lafontaine entering his prime for NYI at the same time. And you had Brent Sutter, an elite two-way center on that team as well. From '88 onward, prime PP icetime on that team was a lot harder to come by for Trottier. If Lafontaine isn't on that team, he probably sees extra PP time for another season or two, and his decline looks more gradual.

3) Bossy retiring in '87 was a huge blow to Trottier's career as well.

4) A series of knee injuries between 83-85, one of which required surgery. A big part of the reason he was hobbled in 84-85 and restricted to the lower lines.

Selected to play in 1981 NHL All-Star Game, but missed game with sprained knee ... Missed part of 1983 playoffs with sprained left knee suffered during N.Y. Islanders' series vs. Washington in April 1983. ... Missed part of 1983-84 season with sprained left knee, suffered in N.Y. Islanders' game vs. Montreal on Jan. 12, 1984. The injury required arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 25. ... Finished second in 1983-84 NHL plus-minus standings with a plus-70 rating. ... Missed parts of 1984-85 season with pulled adductor (inner thigh) muscle, suffered during Team USA's 1984 Canada Cup training camp, and with knee injury, suffered in October 1984....

Those things added up back then with the much more limited medical care.