Islanders: Barry Trotz Moves To 3rd All Time In Wins

Barry Trotz is a sure-fire lock for the Hall of Fame one day. The current Islanders Head Coach has had a storied career so far in the league and with last night’s win over the Rangers, another chapter was written.

Trotz now sits third all-time in wins with 850, passing Ken Hitchcock with 849. Trotz trails only Joel Quenneville (931) and Scotty Bowman (1,244) on the all-time list.

Since the 1998 season, Trotz has been a head coach every year in the NHL. His first job was as a 36-year-old with the expansion Predators. The first five years were rough, as he had five straight losing seasons. Since then, he’a had just one losing season in his coaching career.

From 2003-2004 through 2013-2014 the Preds made the playoffs seven times. In 15 years in Nashville, Trotz finished with a .533 points percentage in 1,196 games coached behind the bench.

Trotz then took his talents to Washington where his playoff success continued. In four years with Washington, Trotz took the Capitals to the playoffs each year finishing with 101, 120, 118, and 105 point seasons.

He eventually got the team who couldn’t get over the hump and helped Alex Ovechkin get his first cup. In 328 games he had an impressive .677 points percentage with the Caps before parting ways due to a contract dispute.

Barry Trotz joins the New York Islanders

After Lou Lamoriello was hired by the New York Islanders in 2018, he was able to land the best coach on the market fresh off his Stanley Cup championship run. Trotz was presented an immediate challenge when his best player, John Tavares, left in free agency.

That first year, they overachieved hitting 103 points, their highest point total since the dynasty era, and reached the second round of the playoffs. He followed that up with a run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 after the season was initially cut short due to COVID.

In 161 games for New York, he is 88-54-19 for a .606 points percentage. With a Jack Adams in his back pocket and playoff success, he already is the second most accomplished coach in team history.

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His impact on this team has been immense, and even though it’s been short-lived so far one can’t argue against his importance to the franchise history. Thanks, Barry for bringing legitimacy back to a franchise that’s been lacking in that category for 30 years prior to your arrival.