Barry Trotz
Barry Trotz
Barry Trotzis the head coach of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals and the former head coach of the NHL's Nashville Predators. He was previously the coach of the American Hockey League's Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates, with whom he won an AHL championship in 1994. That same year, he won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award, which is awarded to the outstanding coach in the AHL as voted upon by the AHL Broadcasters and Writers. On February 20, 2013...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth15 July 1962
CityWinnipeg, Canada
We dug ourselves such a big hole early on. I always say that mentally and physically, you have a bank account as a team, and we had to go to the bank account real early. At the end of the season, we overdrew in some areas. When you dig yourself in a hole, it's tough to get out of. Hopefully what you saw in the 55 to 57 games in the middle stretch is more of what you'll see from the Predators. We're going to have to be more resilient.
In Tennessee, it's a non-traditional sport. The casual fans are coming and saying, 'You know what? I've never had so much fun at a sporting event.' And now they're coming back. That's how you build a base for any sport. That's how you get fans to come to the games - they've got to have a good time.
I just said to the guys, 'When certain things end you've got to get back on the horse and start all over again. That's over with, that's a nice chapter. Let's do something now through the next 73 games. The next 73 games are as important as the first nine.
I thought we were real sloppy in our clears and our passes and not real sharp. ... Just chalk it up to 12 games in 20 nights. Guys are trying to get a little rest, and mentally they're not sharp.
I thought Mason played great and made some key saves. Not too many guys can win three games in a week and score a goal.
I thought we gave them way too much room. There is a fine line between respect and giving them too much respect. We were giving them a zone to create some speed.
I thought the power play and the goaltending were key for us. Mentally, we weren't as focused as we should be.
I thought our whole roster played well. That's how you win in this league. You need 20 guys to contribute. We played a real smart game in terms of puck management. We did a real solid job with the puck. We had no blind or hope passes. I think we managed the game well.
I think it was a combination of things. The Blues were deeper than we were and maybe a little tougher, and their power play was unbelievable. But in the last 18 months, the climate's changed a little bit.
We had zero fights in our first seven games. We made up for that tonight.
Our primary objective is that Jiri is taken care of.
Our power play is effective in getting chances, but not that effective in scoring goals. Edmonton is looking to shoot on the power play. They attack the net until they are successful. We are working very hard on our power play, but it is feast or famine for us.
I think he could be a breakout player.
I thought it was pretty quick. I was sitting up there with a lot of the staff and I told them I didn't remember it being this fast before. Maybe it is because we have been locked out. But I remember back in 1998, it wasn't that fast.