Today’s Islanders news had been in the scuttlebutt for a bit but is now official: Barry Trotz has been appointed assistant coach for Team Canada in the upcoming (surely?) 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where Jon Cooper will be the head coach.
The two coaches are very respectful rivals who’ve just happened to face off in the past two conference finals, each of which Cooper’s Lightning won on their way to the Stanley Cup.
Also joining the Canadian bench are Pete DeBoer, of Vegas, and Bruce Cassidy, whose Bruins the Islanders vanquished during the 2021 playoffs.