Islanders coach Barry Trotz relishes the climb to hockey's Mount Everest

TAMPA, Fla. — When Barry Trotz is done coaching in the NHL, when he looks back at what almost assuredly will be judged a Hall of Fame career, he will always have the vivid memories of reaching at least one Stanley Cup Final and the thrill of the chases to attain another.

The Islanders faced the Lightning in Game 7 of their NHL semifinal series on Friday night at Amalie Arena with the Canadiens awaiting the winner in the Cup Final. The Islanders' last Cup Final berth came in 1984 after they won four straight Cups from 1980-83.

Trotz, in his third season with the Islanders, began his NHL coaching career with the Nashville Predators in 1998 but it wasn’t until 2018 with the Washington Capitals that he led a team to the Cup Final. The Capitals won that franchise’s lone NHL title that season.

"You know, it’s a relief," said Trotz, whose Capitals defeated the Lightning in Game 7 at Amalie Arena in that year’s Eastern Conference finals. "It’s every emotion that a human person can have comes out when you get to the top of the mountain. It must apply in sports. But I think it applies in someone who climbs Mount Everest, you have those same feelings. Because it starts out as a dream and then it becomes a reality and that is a big moment for a lot of people. And it was for me."

Trotz’s long experience as an NHL coach has taught him to appreciate and embrace moments such as the opportunity the Islanders had in Game 7.

"Just put it in perspective," Trotz said. "It’s a very important game. Game 7, it’s always do-or-die, so people handle it different. Some people feel the weight of a Game 7 and some people embrace it. I talk about the journey probably more than the outcome. The journey is very important for the players."

The journey for the Islanders to have a chance to return to the Cup Final for the first time in 37 years has, of course, been a winding, often painful one. The team did not win a playoff series from 1994-2016, missing the postseason 14 times in that span.

But the Islanders have reached the playoffs three times in three seasons under Trotz and president and general manager Lou Lamoriello. Last season, in their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since 1993, they lost to the Lightning in six games in the Edmonton bubble.

The legacy of the Islanders’ Cup dynasty has long overshadowed the franchise.

But Trotz said this group of players has forged its own legacy, regardless of whether they win the Cup.

"No matter what they do [in Game 7], they’re forging a legacy of being a team that’s consistently hard to play against, consistently have a great work ethic, consistently a team that cares about each other," Trotz said. "That’s part of the whole legacy. Win or lose, it’s not going to diminish anything. It’s just part of the overall journey for these young men."

Trotz said he used to want to "control everybody and everything," as a younger NHL coach. Experience has allowed him to trust others.

"Just his demeanor, he’s got a presence about him," Travis Zajac said. "The way he talks, the way he prepares us for games, you just feel real confidence with him behind the bench and the decisions he makes. You see the track record he’s had. He’s won before and he’s been in this league a long time. He knows how to adapt to different situations and he’s got us on the right track."

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.