PITTSBURGH — Barry Trotz recognizes the role he has played in guiding the Washington Capitals during the course of the season. He also acknowledges a number of different factors have helped him along the way.
They lined up last week to make Trotz a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success.” On Tuesday, as the Capitals faced elimination in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he gave credit to his players and assistant coaches for helping the team reach a number of milestones during the regular season.
“To me, it’s really a team award, and to be nominated, it’s an honor, but I really look at it as a staff and team award,” Trotz said. “You can be a great coach and you might not have the talent or you can have a staff that works endlessly, like ours does, and the players maybe don’t buy in. You don’t have the great leadership in your room, or what have you, or you run into injuries. Whatever the case may be, you don’t have a successful year. We had a successful year, I think, because all those factors came in.”
The Capitals won 56 games during the regular season, setting a record for the most wins in franchise history and, in turn, claiming the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top team. They also finished second in the league with 3.02 goals and 2.33 goals allowed per game, and their penalty-kill unit ranked second and their power-play unit was fifth.
“He’s doing a good job,” left wing Alex Ovechkin said. “He manages his experience and his honesty very well, and the guys trust him. He’s trusted us.”
Trotz, who was selected to coach the Metropolitan Division team at the All-Star Game in late January, was previously a finalist for the award twice while with the Nashville Predators, finishing second in 2010 and third in 2011. The Florida Panthers’ Gerard Gallant and the Dallas Stars’ Lindy Ruff were also tabbed as finalists, with the winner to be revealed late next month during the NHL’s annual awards show.
Left wing Jason Chimera said that Trotz benefits not only from a successful team, but also from having surrounded himself with a strong cast of assistant coaches.
“You get a lot of guys back there to support him, to help him out, too, and he owes a lot to those guys,” Chimera said. “It’s kind of a collective effort, but you do feel part of it, for sure. You want to help him get there, and I think that’s a team thing. You want to have those goals, for sure, and it’s nice for people to get recognized.”
Trotz quickly set out to mold his new team after he was hired by the Capitals in May 2014 after 15 seasons with the Predators. He has sponsored a number of team-building exercises, including several military-themed excursions, and has worked to motivate players with a variety of adages that have served as catch phrases throughout the season.
On the ice, Trotz installed a system that stresses the management and possession of the puck and, with it, the importance of fundamentally sound defense.
“Ever since they came in here, they changed the culture,” center Jay Beagle said. “We bought into the systems that they brought last year, and it’s been awesome since they came in.”
Bryan Murray, who won it in 1984, and Bruce Boudreau, the recipient in 2008, are the only other Capitals coaches who have won the award.
“It’s good for him,” Beagle said. “He deserves it. He’s a great coach. … It’s always a great thing to have to be nominated for an award, so I think it’s great.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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