Bryan Trottier Bryan John Trottier ( born - July 17 , 1956 , in Val Marie , Saskatchewan , Canada ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins . He won four Stanley Cup rings with the Islanders , two with the Penguins and one as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche . Playing career . Nicknamed " Trots " , he was drafted in 2nd . Round , 22nd . overall by the New York Islanders in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft ( and by the Cincinnati Stingers 18th overall in the 197 4nhl Amateur Draft ) . Trottier played his first fifteen seasons in the NHL with the Islanders . He won the Calder Trophy as the league ' s Rookie of the year in 1975 - 76 . Trottier was one of the core players on the Islanders dynasty teams from the 1980s . He won four Stanley Cups during his time with the Islanders , 1979 - 80 , 1980 - 81 , 1981 - 82 , and 1982 - 83 . During the Islanders ' first Stanley Cup in 1979 - 80 , he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP . His best offensive season was 1978 - 79 when he had 134 points which earned him the Art Ross Trophy as well as the Hart Trophy as league MVP . In winning the Art Ross , he became the first player from a post - Original Six expansion team to win the award . In that same season , he led the NHL in assists with 87 , something he did the year before as well with 77 assists . Despite Wayne Gretzky ' s dominance and scoring records , Trottier was still universally regarded as the game ' s best all - around player in the early 1980s combining potent offense , rock - solid defense , and expert play on special teams . Trottier was often referred to as the " glue " on the Isles team , centering his fellow stars Denis Potvin , Clark Gillies , Bob Nystrom , and Mike Bossy . Following his 13th season , Trottier ' s skills seemed to deteriorate precipitously , decreasing from 82 points in 1988 to 45 points just one year later , and 24 points in 1990 . The long run of success of the Islanders playoff runs seemed to have caught up with Trottier . Undaunted by heavy criticism from fellow Canadians , Trottier chose to play for Team USA in the 1984 Canada Cup tournament , after playing for Team Canada in 1981 , because he wanted to pay back the country in which he lived and because his wife was American . He was able to obtain the necessary U . S . citizenship in July 1984 because he had Métis ancestry on his father ' s side ( Cree / Chippewa ) . His North American Indian Card ( which he qualified for because his grandmother was a Chippewa ) entitled him to citizenship in both the U . S . and Canada , as well as a U . S . passport , which was all he needed for tournament eligibility . In 1990 , the Islanders believed that Trottier ' s best years were behind him and that younger centers such as Pat LaFontaine and Brent Sutter should get his ice time . The Islanders released Trottier from his contract . He ranks second in Islanders history in goals , and first in assists and points . The Pittsburgh Penguins signed him as a free agent to provide experience and leadership to a young team . Trottier won the Stanley Cup for the fifth and sixth times with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992 . He then briefly retired , returning to the Isles in a front office capacity , but financial troubles , stemming from bad investments , forced Trottier to return to the ice for the 1993 - 94 season . He retired again following a disappointing final season where he scored only 4 goals in 41 games . At the time of his retirement , his point total ranked 6th in NHL history . Trottier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1997 . Post - retirement . Trottier again became a topic of controversy after many of his Islander teammates , including linemates Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies were honored by the Islander organization by having their numbers retired . Trottier , still reeling from his financial difficulties , wanted significant financial compensation for his appearance to retire his number 19 , delaying the ceremonies for years . His number was finally raised to the rafters on October 20 , 2001 . After serving as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh until 1997 , he took a similar position with the Colorado Avalanche , where he garnered his seventh career Stanley Cup ring in 2001 . He was hired as head coach of the New York Rangers in 2002 . Trottier was fired after just half a season with the Rangers . On March 4 , 2006 , the New York Islanders celebrated the 26th anniversary of their first Stanley Cup championship . He gave a familiar salute to the fans who lined up to watch a pregame " Walk of Champions " entering the building , raising both hands high above his head , reminiscent of his days playing on the Island where he would do the same to the fans cheering him on . On June 1 , 2006 Trottier returned to the Islanders as Executive Director of Player Personnel . Trottier is currently 14th all - time in regular season points , having been passed by Jaromir Jagr and Joe Sakic during the 2005 - 06 NHL season . He is 9th all - time in playoff points , and remains the Islanders all - time leader in assists and points . Miscellaneous . Steve Yzerman , who was also renowned for his strong two - way play , considered Trottier his favorite player . Both players wore uniform number 19 throughout their careers . Currently . Bryan Trottier is endorsing a clothing line called T19 ( www . t19online . com ) . T19 helps raise funds for schools and minor sports programs . Bryan Trottier also runs several hockey schools during the summer including one in Acton , Ontario , Midland , Ontario , and Milton , Ontario . Coaching statistics . Career statistics