Now that Trotz is back in Washington, he hopes to apply some of the things he learned with Team Canada to the Capitals. Living with the other coaches and spending a lot of time talking hockey with them allowed him to take a lot of notes, mostly things he might want to add to the program in Washington. He hopes that his input might help the other coaches as well.
"I know everybody that was involved with Mike and the Team Canada staff. We're all better for it, and it was an exceptional experience." Trotz said. "Obviously, winning wasn't too bad either."
The opportunity to work with some of the best talent in Canada -- Sidney Crosby, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Toews -- made it a little easier for Trotz to miss the start of training camp in Washington.
"It was exceptional," Trotz said. "I mean, you get to work with guys that you try to stop night in and night out. There's a reason that Sidney Crosby is considered the best player on the planet. You see why they're stars and why they're virtually unstoppable some nights. It was great to be a part of it."
But it isn't just the winning moments and daily interactions with world-class players that Trotz will remember the most.
Trotz's son Nolan, who has Down syndrome, came to visit him in Toronto one day during the tournament. Crosby saw Nolan playing on his iPad and sat down to play with him for a few minutes. That moment stuck with Trotz, who called Crosby an "exceptional person."
"He didn't have to do that," Trotz said. "He just did. I've got a lot of respect for guys like that. And they were all like that."