Islanders great Trottier shares memories of sacrifice, triumph with younger self
Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier put pen to paper and wrote a letter to himself in The Players' Tribune, well ... nearly 50 years removed.
On Monday, the former New York Islanders great told his 10-year-old self to enjoy the ride as a seven-time Stanley Cup champion (six as a player, one as an assistant coach). Winning the 1979 Hart Trophy was one of the many individual accolades during the 18-year career for Trottier, but it wasn't easy in the beginning.
Trottier shared the beginnings of his friendship with Dave "Tiger" Williams, overcoming slumps and hardships before finally hoisting his first Stanley Cup title in 1980. Trottier won the Conn Smythe Trophy that year and the Islanders' dynasty gained in strength with consecutive championships before the run ended after the 1983 title.
"Teams will hate seeing you win. Fans will hate seeing you win," the 59-year-old Trottier wrote. "You will break your nose so many times that your taste buds will start to go. You’ll have to force vegetables down your throat at dinner in order to get your team-mandated amount of ‘roughage’ ... But hold on to that Cup with all your might."
Trottier certainly enjoyed the 1980s before being shuffled to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990, only to see superstar Mario Lemieux battle a degenerative back condition and miss half the season.
"When Mario returns after missing 50 games, you’re going to witness pure greatness. Pure grace on the ice," Trottier wrote in The Players' Tribune. "He’ll be one of the most generous and straightforward people you’ll ever meet in the game. He will be your Jean Beliveau."
Elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, Trottier scored 524 goals and set up 901 others in 1,279 career games.
(h/t The Players' Tribune)
#Isles legend Bryan Trottier writes a letter to his younger self for the @PlayersTribune: https://t.co/Xu2lKIGRbe pic.twitter.com/jLKv13NWWB
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 23, 2015
