An Islander in the garden: after a five-year playoff drought, the Rangers turn to an old nemesis in Bryan Trottier for help

BRYAN TROTTIER SPENT MOST of his career as The Enemy. The Hall of Fame center made life miserable for opponents during his years with the New York Islanders, but seemed to specialize in tormenting the Isles' archrivals, the New York Rangers.

Now he's not only not The Enemy, he's The Coach--the man who's been designated to lead the Blueshirts out of their worst playoff drought in a half-century.

And make no mistake: His uniform number may hang in the rafters of the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, but Trottier has no problem being a Ranger instead of an Islander.

"My loyalty and focus are with the New York Rangers," he says. "I believe fans on Long Island and in New York understand that." Madison Square Garden, he notes, "is somewhat familiar territory--not always friendly territory, but familiar territory. And always respected territory."

To comprehend the antipathy Trottier could face, consider this: He was the No. 1 center on one of hockey's great dynasties, the Islanders of the early 1980s who captured four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980-83 and won 19 playoff series in a row before losing the 1984 Finals to Edmonton. During their run, the Isles eliminated the Rangers for three straight seasons (1981-83), as well as beating them in the opening round in 1984. No matter how good the Rangers were, the Isles were always a little better. And the man responsible for much of the Isles' advantage was Trottier, who tortured rival centers on faceoffs and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time--much to the anguish of Garden fans.

The announcement that Trottier would be the next coach of the Rangers drew the venom of countless Rangers fans, who vented their scorn on local sports-talk stations. Probably not since the New York Giants hired Leo Durocher of the archrival Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 has the Big Apple seen such consternation over a coach or managerial hiring.

Trottier knows that a lot of Rangers fans wouldn't have hired him. And he doesn't care.

"Loyalty switches quickly in trades of players and coaches," he says. "I have a great respect for hockey fans around the country. They can't all be Islanders fans, Rangers fans, Bryan Trottier fans, Glen Sather fins, or [assistant GM] Don Maloney fans. But we're all committed to the same thing and that's bringing a winner to the New York Rangers."

Trottier was a fearsome competitor from the day he arrived on Long Island in 1975. That to win--the willingness to do whatever it took to succeed--combined with his skills as a playmaker, made him the NHL's best two-way center from the late '70s into the mid-'80s (think of Peter Forsberg with better offensive numbers). Trottier and longtime linemate Mike Bossy were one of the great 1-2 punches in NHL history.

But Bossy's career ended in 1987 due to a back injury, and Trottier's play declined along with that of the Islanders. He had a messy parting with the team after the 1989-90 season, but was quickly signed by Pittsburgh, where he reinvented himself as a checking center and leader, helping the Penguins win the only two Stanley Cups in their history. After his playing career ended, he was an assistant with the Pens for three years, spent the 1997-98 season coaching Washington's AHL team in Portland, and then was an assistant in Colorado the last three seasons, where he earned another Stanley Cup ring with the Avalanche in 2001.

That's seven Stanley Cups--three more than the Rangers have managed in their 77 NHL seasons.

"He's got seven Stanley Cup rings and it's difficult to get one," says Rangers GM Glen Sather. "With his experience, knowledge, and the work he's put into learning the coaching trade, I think the search was very short."

His new players are impressed, too.

"Coming in with seven Stanley Cup tings, not just as a player but as a coach, there's a great deal of respect," says center Eric Lindros. "I'm excited about this; I've never had a coach who was a centerman before."

A big part of what impressed Sather was Trottier's application for the job. In response to a nine-page questionnaire, Trottier hand-wrote his response and faxed 40 pages to Sather, catching the GM's eye.

"It shows how serious he was about it," Sather says, "how enthusiastic he was, and how much he wanted the job."

Confidence was never Trottier's problem as a player. He was self-assured, occasionally to the point of arrogance, as a player. That cocksure attitude served him well then, and it hasn't disappeared. He feels he's still the same person he was.

"I was confident in me," he says. "I couldn't concern myself with what-ifs. I was just going to put my best foot forward, present Bryan Trottier in the best light I could, and feel confident about that more so than what-ifs. I think the person stays the same. I think your communication skills change. To a certain degree, you want to improve as much as you can. My teaching methods, I have had to concentrate on the last couple of years. It's not like I'm teaching hockey to a bunch of mites."

That confidence made a big impression on Sather, who says Trottier was the only person who received an offer after he axed Ron Low following the Rangers' fifth consecutive non-playoff season, the worst playoff drought the franchise has had since missing the playoffs from 1951-55.

Trottier has learned from some of the best minds in coaching. He played under Hall-of-Famer Al Arbour with the Islanders and Hall-of-Famers Bob Johnson and Scotty Bowman in Pittsburgh, then served as an assistant under Bob Hartley with the Cup-winning Avalanche.

He says he's learned something from each.

"They've been a great benefit. Al Arbour was tough, fair, and demanding. Scotty Bowman wants to win, and if you ever had a problem with him, Scotty's door was always open. After you spoke with him, the bottom line was I thought we could win. I like that. You respect that in a coach when the bottom line is winning. All of these great coaches have had success. Bob Johnson was another high-energy guy. You bring all of those experiences with you and go back to them when you need to. It was a fun time and I've been working hard at being a coach for seven years. Those years with those coaches were a big part of it."

Trottier will need every bit of training and every ounce of confidence to get the Rangers back into the playoffs. Though they committed more than $70 million to sign free agents Bobby Holik and Darius Kasparaitis, the core of the team is still the group that was among the NHL's poorest defensive teams and weakest penalty-killing units. And even though the Rangers have marquee stars in Lindros, Pavel Bure, Brian Leetch, and Mike Richter, they haven't shown the heart of a champion.

Trottier, who played with as much grit and heart as ability during his career, won't accept anything less than a complete effort. Not all of his players may have Trottier-like skills, but his goal is to make sure they give a Trottier-like effort.

"In general ideas, it starts with 100% effort," he says of his plans for the Rangers. "It starts with details, systems, and then it's a heart check. Being a little demanding on them and then letting them know that you are here as a resource and that we're all in this together. The system that we used on Long Island and Pittsburgh, all the organizations I have been involved with except for slight variations; it's a matter of details and wanting to be held accountable and then being held accountable. Those things are important; players like it. I liked it as a player and Mario Lemieux likes it as a player."

Trottier's new players aren't worried about his history as an Islander. They're more interested in his track record as a winner.

"The bottom line around here is winning, and I'm sure Bryan knows that," Lindros says. "The bottom line is winning and respect is through winning. I'm sure we can follow through on what his plans and ideas are and give it the heart and soul that he will as a coach."

"I respect Bryan a great deal," adds goaltender Mike Richter, a Ranger since 1988. "I don't know an awful lot about him as a coach, but it's not possible to not be aware of what he's accomplished and impossible to not respect what he's done. As a longtime member of this organization, I welcome his addition."

Even with his No. 19 hanging from the rafters of Nassau Coliseum, Trottier doesn't feel his first visit to the stadium will be that big a deal. And though the Islanders even put up a message on their Web site to congratulate Trottier on his new job, he want to leave no doubt that he's a Ranger now.

"You prepare yourself mentally for whoever you're competing against, and your loyalty is to the organization you are working for," he says. "I don't think it will be that interesting this time around. I thought more about it the first time I went back there with the Penguins."

Bryan Trottier at a Glance

* Age: 45

* Stanley Cups: Seven (four with the Islanders and two with Pittsburgh as player; one with Colorado as assistant coach)

* Playing experience: 18 seasons (1975-94), 524 goals, 901 assists, 1,425 points (12th all time)

* Coaching experience: Seven seasons as an assistant coach (Pittsburgh 1994-97; Colorado 1998-2002); one season as a minor league head coach (Portland AHL, 1997-98).

COPYRIGHT 2002 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group