Islanders' Barry Trotz Says He Doesn't 'Work' The Refs: 'I Just Respect Them'
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy really cut it loose on Monday night when he vented for two minutes about the officiating in his team's series against the Islanders. It ended up costing him $25,000.
New York head coach Barry Trotz is seemingly happy to sit back and let it all play out.
The Islanders' bench boss was asked if it can be beneficial in a playoff series to make public comments in order to "work" the refs, so to speak. A veteran NHL coach, Trotz opted to take a "New York Saints" approach to the matter.
"I don't work [the refs]. I just respect them," Trotz said. "I've been in the league a long time. It's a hard job."
#Isles Barry Trotz on the idea of "working officials:"
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) June 8, 2021
"I don't work them. I just respect them because I worked the referee situation in the bubble last year and I got ran over... I've been in the league a long time, It's a hard job.
"By the way, I was not a good referee."
Trotz, of course, did make a comment about Patrice Bergeron "cheating" on faceoffs prior to Game 5, comments which got Bergeron kicked off the dot on his first faceoff of Monday night's Game 5. That's not exactly in line with Cassidy's criticisms of officiating, though.
Trotz also opted out of the conversation on Monday night when asked about Cassidy's assertion that the Islanders have "built a narrative" that they're the "New York Saints" in this series.
"You'll have to ask him about that," Trotz nonchalantly replied when told of Cassidy's comments. "I know that I just looked at where we ended up during the year, I think we were one of the least penalized teams in the whole league. I don't know what he means by that, you'll have to ask him."
(If that was a subtle nod to Craig Berube's comments from the 2019 Cup Final, then Trotz is offering up a master class in postgame press conference work. It's likely just a coincidence, though.)
The 58-year-old Trotz is coaching in the 26th postseason series of his near-20-year career. He's well aware of what to say, when to say it, and how aggressively to step on the gas pedal when needed.
Yet with the Islanders in the drivers' seat with a 3-2 lead as the series heads back to Uniondale, he knows that he doesn't have much that he needs to say.