Even though Barry Trotz is no longer the Washington Capitals head coach anymore, there was one final thing he had to do before finally closing the door on his tenure in Washington: receive his Stanley Cup ring.
Monday night marked the first time that New York Islanders head coach faced the club he helped guide to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, as the Caps invaded the Barclays Center in New York to face the Isles.
Ahead of the game, Trotz was brought inside the visitors dressing room where received his ring along with associate coach Lane Lambert and goaltending guru Mitch Korn, who followed Trotz to Long Island, as well as addressing the club.
After hugging it out with Alex Ovechkin and several of the players and staff members, Trotz offered up some praise to his former players and told them that their chances of repeating as cup champs, but not without a caveat.
"You guys are so resilient as a group over the years," Trotz said. "The pressures in that were real, and you fought through that, and that's the most proud I am of you guys. You're resilient and you're champions.
"You'll have to go through the Island, but you guys can do it again.”
Sitting first in the Metropolitan division, the Caps are a strong bet to be playing after the conclusion regular season with a 14-7-3 record with 31 points.
Trotz' team ended up falling 4-1 to the Caps and currently sit third in the division five points out of first place.
