About Bryan Trottier
Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956) is a Canadian and American former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. Trottier was drafted with the 22nd pick in 1974 by the Islanders and made the opening lineup in 1975, which saw him set a rookie record for points (95) and win the Calder Memorial Trophy for his play. In the 1978–79 season, he had a career-high 134 points; on December 23, he became the first Islander to score five goals in a game and set an NHL record that same night when he recorded the most points in a single period with six (four goals and two assists); the record has been matched but never broken. In that season, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the leading-point scorer and also won the Hart Memorial Trophy for his valuable play; he was the first (and so far only) Islander to win both awards in franchise history. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his play in the 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs with 29 points in 21 games as the Islanders won the first of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships. In a game on February 13 of the 1981–82 season, he recorded a five-goal game to become the seventh NHL player with multiple five-goal games. He recorded his 500th goal in 1990, becoming the 15th player to reach the mark in NHL history. He was bought out of his contract by the Islanders after the season and subsequently signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh, where he provided veteran leadership as the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. He initially retired in 1992 but returned for one more season with Pittsburgh before finally retiring in 1994. One of the best Islanders in franchise history, Trottier recorded 524 goals and 901 assists for 1,425 points in over 1,200 games; in the playoffs, he recorded 182 points in 221 games played. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997 and his jersey was retired by the Islanders in 2001. In 2017, Trottier was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history. Trottier served as an assistant coach with the Penguins from 1993 to 1997. He became a coach with the Colorado Avalanche in 1998, where he was on the staff when the Avalanche won the Cup in 2001 to give Trottier a sixth championship. He served as coach of the New York Rangers in 2002, where he coached for 54 games before being fired. He worked in the front office for the Islanders beginning in 2006 before being hired as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres in 2014, where he coached the 2014–15 season. Nicknamed "Trots," Trottier was drafted in the second round, 22nd overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1974 NHL entry draft, the team he played his first 15 seasons in the NHL with. He won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders, two with the Penguins and one as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche. He shares the NHL record for points in a single period with six (four goals and two assists). He set an NHL rookie record of 95 points and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year in 1975–76, though the record was later broken by Peter Šťastný of the Quebec Nordiques in 1980–81.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.