Five Questions: Trotz talks return to Nashville for ASG

NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Five Questions With …" runs every Tuesday. We talk to key figures in the game and ask them questions to gain insight into their lives, careers and the latest news.

The latest edition features Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz:

Barry Trotz gets to do something this weekend that so few coaches ever get to do in their careers. His success is taking him home again, or at least to his adopted home, on the NHL's dime, and without any pressure to win.

Trotz called Nashville home for 17 years. He was the coach of the Nashville Predators, the only coach in franchise history until he parted ways with the organization following the 2013-14 season. He built a life, raised a family, met lifelong friends, and even helped pick the nickname Predators.

He found his place, his haven, his home. He has talked about retiring there one day in order to be close to the grandkids. This week, he gets to go back because of how good he's been doing in his new home, in Washington with the Capitals.

Trotz will coach the Metropolitan Division All-Stars in the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Sunday because the Capitals are first in the division and the coach of the first place team gets to go to the All-Star Game.

The irony of it all is Trotz was originally planning a getaway weekend with some of his buddies from Nashville before he knew he was going to be coaching in the All-Star Game. Now, instead of them leaving to join him somewhere, he is going to visit them.

"They're staying there now," Trotz said, laughing. "They're like, 'Yeah, thanks for your team being so good, now we don't even get a day pass.' "

Trotz gets a weekend pass to catch up with old friends and celebrate the game that he helped bring to Nashville. He gets a chance to see his youngest daughter, Tiana, who still lives in Nashville. He gets to go back to his old neighborhood. He gets to enjoy the city in a unique way.

He spoke to NHL.com about all of it, and some of the reasons why he's getting the opportunity (i.e. why the Capitals are successful), in the following Q&A.

Here are Five Questions with…Barry Trotz:

So much of your hockey life was in Nashville, so how do you think it is going to be for you to go back for a few days without having the pressure to win a game, to do real work with your team now? What will this be like for you?

"Certainly it's going to be really fun for a number of reasons. Someone asked me, 'What is the thing you'll take away the most?' I think it'll be going back and seeing all of it, knowing I was a part of something that started in Nashville and honestly, in the first five years, you didn't know if it was going to make it, but you end up being there a long time and it ends up becoming your home. And I know Nashville is going to do just a tremendous job with the All-Star Game because that's Nashville, they do things right when it comes to the entertainment value of anything. Going back and seeing how far the franchise has come and knowing that it's there long-term, it's going to be great. To me, it's full circle to see something that you were a part of when it started get to a point where you know it's going to be there long-term. There's going to be a point in time when I can go to a NHL game in Nashville with my grandkids. That's really special. And you go back to see all your friends, and I have a lot of friends in that organization still and a lot of friends in our neighborhood. We spent 17 years of our life there so it's going to be fun to go back and visit. There's no pressure to win or anything like that. It's just going back and seeing what Nashville has become."

What is it about Nashville, that community, that city, that made it home for you?

"It's the people. It's the lifestyle. It's just a good city. It's a city that has that combination of big town and small town. It feels like a small town, but it has some size to it too. All the things it has to offer are totally unique, but it comes down to the people. The people are genuine. They have time for you. They're down to earth."

How much do you pay attention to the Nashville Predators now?

"I would say last year I would check to see how they did. I still do, but I haven't seen a lot of their games. Honestly, I didn't see a lot of their games last year because I was just so busy with our own team here. Then it's the Western Conference, and now being in the East, staying up to watch those games is not really conducive to being sharp at practice. But I do follow them. I do check the score. I have such a good relationship with [Nashville general manager] David Poile, the trainers and some of the coaches, and even some of the fans. I'm hoping they can get it going, get it rolling with the veterans they have. I really hope they do. If some of the players that I had, like Pekka Rinne or Shea Weber, I do feel their pain when it doesn't go well. When Weber gets hurt, I feel his pain because I know he's such a stand-up guy. When Pekka goes into a tough stretch, I feel his pain because I know how much he cares. I hope they get it turned around because they've had some time with some of those players. I see it from that perspective, but other than that I'm not following daily or anything like that. It's like a fan from a distance to see how they're doing."

OK, now about your team. Finish this sentence for me: The biggest improvement in Alex Ovechkin's game is…

"Accountability. I think he understands the game better so he understands the importance of balance on both sides of the puck. He understands critical situations. Last year, I didn't use him in the last minute of a game. I maybe used him once or twice in that situation and we probably had a two-goal lead. Now I use him always. If we have a one-goal lead, he's on the ice in the last minute. The reason I say accountability is there is no cheat in his game to score goals. He used to try to cheat a little bit when he was out there in a 5-on-6 situation, but now he understands the most important thing is the defensive part of it so you don't allow the other team to get it tied up. If it happens that you play it right and you're in position to score a goal, great. He used to anticipate and cheat a little bit in those situations. He doesn't anymore. He understands taking care of the puck so it doesn't go in our net, and if you happen to get a goal, well fantastic."

What impresses you about your team now? What is it about this group that makes you go home at night and say, 'Hey, they did that, and I'm really impressed by that?'

"On the ice, it's how we play, because we play a lot of puck possession. But really it's how they're grounded. When we were on a nine-game winning streak, honestly, you could see it in their eyes, they were like, 'We won nine games in a row?' They didn't know. Their focus is very much on the next game, let's just take care of the next game. They don't get too high. They don't get too low. And this team really enjoys being together. I mean, this team loves to come to the rink. They practice hard. They're very accountable. If they're having a day in practice where they're not very good, I will say, 'Hey, this is not good enough guys,' and they will snap right into it. They're a very mature group in understanding the process and how to stay grounded, humbled, and not getting full of ourselves. All those things, that is what impresses me about this group."

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