Brian Trottier not mad at Garth Snow

From Greg Logan of Newsday:

Worried that some might misunderstand his comments about the departure of coach Ted Nolan, Islanders Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier sought me out yesterday to explain his feelings in a little more detail. When news of the decision to replace the coach broke, it caught Trottier by surprise and hit him hard because of his friendship with Nolan.

Trottier is a stand-up guy, and he certainly wasn’t going to take a slap at a friend on his way out the door. That reaction not only is understandable, but it’s admirable. But when he read his comments in Newsday, Trottier realized it might appear as though he was at odds with general manager Garth Snow and the organization.

That’s not the case. As director of player development, Trottier is intimately involved in working with the very prospects that Snow is attempting to introduce to the Islanders’ lineup. In our conversation, Trottier emphasized how happy he is in that role, how excited he is to work with the kids and the fact that he is very much in agreement with the direction set by Snow.

Read the entire story here.

Here are Trottier’s initial comments which were the reason for his clarification:

“I’m shocked. Absolutely shocked. No clue,” said Trottier, who was informed
by assistant coach John Chabot. “I was blown away. I’m wordless right
now.”

The original article can be found here.

Trottier was obviously put into a difficult situation with Nolan’s firing. He seems to have handled it as best he could.