The party seems to finally be dying down a bit in Washington following the Capitals epic Stanley Cup victory. With all the celebrations now in the rear view mirror, it’s time to start focusing on next season. For the Caps, that season will be without Barry Trotz manning the bench.
The coach, well tough at times, seems to have been very well loved by the Caps players. Two of the most integral parts of the team, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom offered their thoughts on his departure, expressing sadness but understanding.
“It’s hard when it happen right away, you know?” Ovechkin told the Washington Post. “First of all, thanks for him to be with us, to give us a chance to win the Cup. All of what he did was only for the team, not for personal-wise. But I’m pretty sure he will be fine and he will find what he wants. It’s sad, but it’s a business.”
“He’s been very good for me,” Ovechkin said of Trotz. “We’ve been back and forth all the time, you know? He was hard on me. He give me very good advice because he have experience and that’s the whole thing. When the coach know who you are and know how to use you, you just feel great.”
“Something you can’t take away from Barry is what he’s done to this team," Backstrom said. "Him and the coaching staff has been doing a tremendous job to just get us together. He’s been schooling us good these four years and we got a good finish out of it... Hopefully there’s no hard feelings. He’s always going to be remembered in Washington as a champion, which is great, which he deserves.”
It’s the end of an era in America’s capital city, and it couldn’t have had a better ending.
(H/T Washington Post)
