One of the things I find most interesting about Trotz establishing such a distinct identity for his new team so quickly is that he previously had little to no connection to the Islanders whatsoever. We do everything together, we’re playing together. That was also a game in which the crowd at Nassau Coliseum serenaded him with chants of his name. It’s not a bad place to play.” That was from a win over Anaheim in January of 2019. You go to Home Depot and you’re getting high-fives. Trotz talked about being out and about around his new home and interacting with fans who appreciated being part of the cult: “You can see the passion on The Island. “The Island” wasn’t just an in-game concept, either. How ingrained was that defensive mindset? What other crowd have you ever heard cheer dump-ins from the red line with a minute to go in a playoff game? Probably not too many. Without Trotz getting everyone to buy into it, that hostility would not have been nearly as concentrated or unified. Whether it was John Tavares making his first return appearance at Nassau Coliseum as a member of the Maple Leafs, a playoff game against the always-hated Penguins, or a random game in the regular season, “The Island” was a thing to be reckoned with. The players and the fans came together to create a stifling, aggressive atmosphere that made Islanders home games a difficult task for any visitors. With that came another rare feeling among Islanders fans: pride. Now, they would now embody the spirit of “The Island,” a metaphysical idea that basically meant that if you worked, played or rooted for the other team, you were gonna have a bad time. Prior to his arrival, the Islanders were a team that at times had no home or two homes a team that had a history of losing its best players a team that had not had any real sustained success since Simon & Simon was still on the air. Barely two months into the job, Trotz had already planted his flag. When he famously told the Capitals, in their locker room at Barclays Center to receive his Stanley Cup ring, that to win another championship they would have to “ go through the fucking Island,” the first brick was set.
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As Trotz set about teaching the players how to play the structured defensive style he would come to brand as “Islanders Hockey,” he also taught them and us to embrace the idea of “The Island” as something to rally behind and defend. That connection seemed to be based on the concept of “The Island” as both a place and a mentality. Or maybe he knew a little about the history of New York sports.
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Maybe he got the idea after the Islanders-Capitals playoff series in 2015. And he used that knowledge to get the players, the people and the franchise moving in the same direction. He understood the mindset of the people in the stands from the moment he took over. Trotz had a true connection with Islanders fans that few before him have ever achieved, let alone as quickly as he did. But when I think about Trotz’s tenure - or, rather, the abrupt and unexpected end to it - I don’t just remember a bunch of games and good quotes. Any one of them could be used as a guide for life or hockey. I’ve already written about the many, many words of wisdom Trotz imparted to us in his four years with the Islanders. But what would he be able to do with that roster? Was he a magician, too? Sure, he was just coming off a Stanley Cup and was already in the top 10 of NHL coaching victories. It’s easy to remember that when Trotz was hired, morale around the fanbase was mostly low. Maybe when that new coach is picked, we’ll be surprised again. If I correctly understand the Lou Lamoriello workflow paradigm of “If you have time, use it,” a new coach will be named about a week before training camp. Once it gets filled, I’ll have different feelings. A big part of the problem is that there’s now a hole behind the bench where an accomplished, intelligent coach used to stand. It’s been a few days since the Islanders let go of Barry Trotz, and I’m still processing my thoughts on it.
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