Isles Inbox: Bryan Trottier on 1980 Cup Run

As part of the 40th anniversary of the Islanders first Stanley Cup, Isles legends are taking your questions! Bryan Trottier, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1980 answers everything from Cup moments, to best friends to celebrating with the fans. Enjoy!
Past 40th Anniversary Inboxes: Butch Goring | Clark Gillies
Question from Chris Davis: How did it feel once that puck went in the net in OT against the Flyers and you guys won the Cup?
First thing was extreme joy and complete satisfaction. The sense of accomplishment, the sense of appreciation of Bobby Nystrom and John Tonelli and your teammates. It's still the biggest goal in the history of my hockey career and I had nothing to do with it outside of resting fast for my next shift. Just total appreciation for your coaches, your family and all of the sacrifices along the way. Then, just exhaustion. You're tired, you have nothing in the tank and then you don't feel tired until that moment. You're like, 'Oh, I'm so tired, but we won...yay!'

Question from Gerry A: What is the fondest memory of your career?
Putting the jersey on for the first time was a highlight, scoring your first goal is a highlight, those kinds of moments are pretty special. Those are fun memories to be able to share those feelings with fans and family. The accomplishment of those dreams coming true; you dream about playing in the NHL, scoring your first goal, raising the Stanley Cup over your head. Those kind of dreams are fond memories.
Question from Nicholas Canny: Besides Nystrom's overtime winner, what was your favorite memory during that Cup run?
There are so many, but I would say the on-ice celebration with the fans and Long Island. They bring out the Stanley Cup and you get to touch it for the first time. You've earned it and you own it. I remember Denis Potvin saying, 'You can touch it! You can touch it!' It used to be over there on the other side of the room or someone else had won it, but now it's ours. We get to hold it up over our head and share this with our fans. The screaming and the noise in the Coliseum; guys were a few inches away from your face but you couldn't hear them. It was incredible. That moment and that time we got to share with the Long Island fans is magical.

Question from Bob Fagan: There was talk after losing to the Rangers in the 1979 playoffs that the Islanders were going to be broken up for the 1980 season. Did these rumors and the loss to the Rangers inspire the team moving forward?
I think it motivated us. I think it inspired us to some degree... There were lots of expectations because we were so young still, but I think we grew from that. I think Al was great as a mentor. Every time you gain some confidence, but every time you lose you've got to learn from it. It's just like being a parent and raising a bunch of kids and Al did a great job with us.
Question from Joe DeMaro: Which series during the run did you feel was the most difficult?
Whenever you get to the Stanley Cup Finals and you have the other team wanting to win just as bad as you do, that's always the most difficult. You're tired, they're tired, you're exhausted, they're exhausted, they're hungry, you're hungry and you've just got to find a level that's a little greater than theirs on all accounts. It seemed like the finals were; as excited as you are and as intense as it gets, it was a lot of ebbs and flows, a lot of big moments, a lot of big saves and trying to generate chances at the net. It's stingy out there, it's not easy. I think the finals of every Stanley Cup were probably the most difficult.
Question from Mike Lussos: What made you choose number 19?
It was an available number. Jim Pickard came up to me and gave me a bunch of available choices and there were a lot of high numbers in there in like the 20s and 30s. You didn't want to get into the 40s and 50s, but that was an available number. That was Craig Cameron's old number, it was an old jersey, they didn't have any new jerseys. It was right near the end of training camp. I thought, 'I'm 19-years-old, Paul Henderson scored the game-winning goal for Team Canada, John McKenzie is number 19, and I just started thinking of all the 19s in the league. 19 is a good number! Larry Robinson is 19. It had some specialness to it. I would draw every parallel I could to 19. But the jersey was way too big for me. Craig Cameron was 270-pounds and a 6-foot-4 guy and I'm 5-foot-10, 185-pounds. I had no business throwing that jersey on, but I was so proud. It looked like I had a skirt on or a dress. It went down to my knees. You'd think I was a hockey fan. It was comical. I looked like a 12-year-old wearing a man's jersey.
Question from Josh Grening: How would you describe the atmosphere at the Coliseum?
As a home team, we found it perfect. It was the right level of noise. You could hear bits and pieces and verbal lines coming out of the crowd. You're tuned into it. They're your people and they're urging you on. It's highly motivating. It's a great atmosphere. It's a great arena for players to perform and to feel the crowd. We could feel them, they were right on top of us. We felt their energy. It was a special place.
Question from Jacob Solinsky: How did it feel to win the four cups?
Four in a row, there's no superlative or description that encapsulates it perfectly. It really just added value to the feeling of being a champion. When you can accomplish that feeling and accomplish that feat four times in a row, it puts you in a very small crowd and makes you appreciate everything that much more. And we did it front of our home fans. We won three at home and when you can share that with your fans it's pretty cool.
Question from John McDonough: Who was the one player you hated facing the most during your career and why?
It was definitely Larry Robinson. He's such a gentle giant, but he had such a wing span that he was so difficult to get around. He was such a strong man. He'd take you out in the corner and basically lift you off of the ground and let you go when he was ready to let you go. He was a monster, but one of my favorite people in the league. He's intense and on the ice, he's professional and off the ice, he's such a great guy. I've gotten to know him really well over the years. I said to myself, 'Well, if you're going to hate to play against somebody and it's somebody special like Larry Robinson then it's no big deal. Up front, there were guys like Darryl Sittler, who played the full-60, Mark Messier was a challenge. Those guys were both ends of the ice, they're coming back hard, they attack hard, they're very physical, every faceoff is a battle. It was good. It brought out the best in all of us.

Question from Brooks Simpson: Why was your power play so successful that year, especially against Philly?
We were on a roll. It's really good when the power play is on a roll because your confidence is high. Execution is key. We practiced it hard. Al was really diligent on practicing moving the puck, moving position, don't hold onto the puck too long, keep them off guard, don't let them set up their defense posture in-zone, keep them always on the move, try to two-on-one somebody. There were just a bunch of mantras we had. We were high on adrenaline and we were high on focus. When you have a superstar like Denis Potvin on the point on your power play, he was just a master back there, and then you've got a finisher like Mike Bossy up front; those are two key ingredients. They were on all cylinders.
Question from Jed Dye: Could you tell us a story about Al Arbour that perhaps we haven't heard before?
I've got thousands of Al Arbour stories and I think all of them are great. He was a father figure for a lot of us. He had two phrases that he used for me; he had bear down and smarten up and I loved the both of them. My dad used the same two. It was really nice to have a guy like Al who was very family-minded. He taught us a lot of life skills through hockey, but also used the sense of family and caring for one another. He was a special man for a whole bunch of reasons, but we always thanked his family for sharing him with us. We don't win without Al Arbour. I busted his glasses one time on accident, but he never held it against me... I always said Al was extremely fair. As long as we came to the game to perform, but if you didn't perform he'd put it in your face and say, 'Hey, look accountability. You've got to be a pro. You've got to be disciplined. Smarten up and bear down.'
Question from Mark Artes: What is your favorite cereal?
I'm stuck on Honey Nut Cheerios for whatever reason.
Question from Anita Bohn: What does it personally mean to you to be recognized as one of the Greatest 100 NHL players ever?
All of that stuff is humbling to a degree, but it's also something you take pride in. My family especially and people who know me are really so proud. That makes me feel appreciated for all of that hard work and hustle. It's all a reflection of the teammates you had, the teams you played on and the coaches you had, it's a reflection of everyone. Hockey is such a wonderful game in the sense that it's all about team. Individual stuff is great, but it's really just a reflection of the team.
Question from Brooks Simpson: Would you recall the game where you scored two shorthanded goals versus the Kings?
I hadn't killed a lot of penalties up until [then]. Eddie Westfall took a lot of faceoff draws and did a lot of penalty killing with Lorne Henning. It just seemed like up until Butch Goring got here I'm killing more penalties and I'm taking more faceoffs in our zone. That first round in LA, bing bing, all of a sudden, you get two shorthanded goals. Al goes, 'I don't know, maybe this kid can kill penalties.' Who knows? I don't know what is was, things just clicked and I got a lot of penalty killing time and a lot of opportunities. I took a lot of faceoff in our zone on penalties. Butch and I found ourselves out there a lot as a duo. It was really unique because sometimes you find yourselves on a rush in a shorthanded situation. It's fun when you're contributing offensively. When you can sting a power play, it goes even more with my character. It's sneaky.

Question from Fiona Glueckert: Who's your biggest inspiration?
Lots of guys inspired me. Watching Hockey Night in Canada, some of the superstars I got to watch were Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Stan Mikita, a young Bobby Orr and then being able to play against them. It's inspiring to play against some of these guys. [They were] great mentors. There's coaches, your mom and dad getting you to the rink and getting you equipment. Teachers, finding ways to get me through school. Encouragement from various people. You take nothing for granted.
Question from Ed Rainey: How was your and your teammates relations with Bill Torrey?
We all had great respect for Bill. He was great at being honest and straightforward, which is what you need from a general manager. We all appreciated that honesty. I've got only the highest respect for Bill personally and professionally. I'm still in touch with his boys. I've enjoyed that friendship. I think we're all loyal because of those championships. Bill was as loyal as anybody. He wanted to keep that team together as long as he possibly could and we sure appreciated that. The last time I spoke to him, there was no ugly in relationship with Bill Torrey.
Question from Ray Rotolo: The team one so many big OT games, what do you think was the reason you all were so successful in OT?
It came down to character for me and each guy in that locker room. We'd go in that locker room going into overtime and became a mantra, 'OK, who wants to be the hero?' And everyone would put their hand up. That's the kind of team we had; everyone wanted to score the goal... For our team as a group, it reflects well on everyone, from management, coaches, players, trainers, equipment guys, everyone had a hand in that character of that room. It gave us that confidence and became intimidating for other teams too.
Question from Ross Belkin: Who was you're best friend on the team
I have 20 best friends, but I think Mike Bossy and I spent a lot of time together. We were roommates, teammates, linemates, humor, food, everything. He was one guy I was so close with. I adored Billy Smith. Clark Gillies, I could hang out with them 24/7. The time I spent with Bobby Nystrom off the ice was as fun on the ice. Denis Potvin, I sat next to him in the locker room. Gordie Lane, I sat next to him every time in the locker room on the road. I didn't know this until after I retired, but Jimmy Pickard told me that when Gordie came on the team he asked if he could sit next to me in the locker room on the road. I loved that. To me, there were relationships and friendships that make a best friend a best friend. I've got a lot of best friends on that New York Islanders team. They're good characters, they're family-minded, they've got your back, they're like brothers.

Question from Charles Mcanulla: That picture of you at the coli as you're about to win the Stanley Cup and at the end of the game you turn to the fans with your hands up is one of the greatest pictures. What made you decide to do that?
We were well ahead of the opposition team and you never rubbed their noses in your victory. You timed yourselves. That moment seemed like the attention was on the ice and that I could turn around. There was a family, the Amendola family that sat right at the last row behind the bench for years and years. It was a moment that I could share with them personally. That whole section went crazy. It was personal. Four or five hundred people have come up to me and said, 'That was great that you turned around and celebrated with me!' It was really for that one family, but turned out to be special for that whole section. It's been really fun bumping into people and now their children or grandchildren have heard that story and they'll tell me.
It had that much of an impact and that's how intense it was for the fans. When I'm watching Islander games now, I get into it. I'm cheering. I find myself yelling at the TV. I'm invested. I know Mat Barzal personally and I want to see him and this group succeed. So, I get it. Long Island fans are hands down the best in the league. They're so devoted. This is their team reflective of their hard work, hustle and character and they let the boys on the ice know.