Puck Daddy chats with Bryan Trottier about his alumni game performance, infamous YouTube video, best outdoor game spots
PITTSBURGH -- Many hockey fans may be too young to remember Bryan Trottier's days as a member of the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins, or even playing forward for the Philadelphia Phantoms of Roller Hockey International in 1994.
What those younger hockey fans do know, however, is YouTube and there isn't a more legendary puck video than a mic'd up Trottier and Kevin Stevens on the bench during the 1991 Stanley Cup final chirping Brian Bellows. And when we say chirping, we really mean chirping. Here's the extremely NSFW video if you're one of the few who haven't seen it.
After the Pens/Caps alumni game this morning, we spoke with Trottier about reuniting with his old teammates, that YouTube video and where he would have loved to have played an outdoor game during his career.
Q. What did you think of how you played today?
TROTTIER: I felt really good leg-wise and as far as the excitement of it all. Hands weren't where I wanted them, but I said to myself I'm not going to beat myself up about it, I'm just going to enjoy the day.
How did it feel to play again with Mario and some of your old teammates?
They were phenomenal, great guys. Everyone was cheering for each other really good with a little teasing here and there.
What did you think about the game ending in a tie and not going to a shootout?
These guys don't know what a shootout is! [Laughs] It would have been great to go to a shootout, but time restrictions are what they are, but it's fun to be part of the weekend. It wasn't about who won, but about the atmosphere. Washington made all the effort to get up here and play against us and I think they deserve a lot of credit. I hope it was entertaining for the fans.
Are you aware at how big of a phenomenon the YouTube video of you and Kevin Stevens heckling Brian Bellows during the '91 Cup final has become?
It's becoming more of a cult following, you know. It keeps you alive in the eyes of certain audience. It's not one of the proudest moments, but you say to yourself it's part of the game, no one takes it on the ice real serious. We all take our shots, we all get our shots.
Did that heckling of Bellow makes its on the ice as well?
It wasn't just Brian, it was the whole team. They're yelling at us, we're yelling at them.
You have a prediction for the game tomorrow?
Well, you just hope the good guys win. It's here in Pittsburgh, I'm sure the boys are gonna play hard. We live here, so we're gonna root our little alums off for the hometown.
During your career, if you could have played an outdoor game anywhere, where would it be?
Man, I don't know, that's a great question. We had some really good rivalries with Philly and New York. Weather permitting it would have been great to play one of those teams where we had our best rivalries in our hey-day. Probably with a Canadian team you could take your pick up there. It would have been awesome to play an outdoor game up in Canada, you know, in front of the Canadian crowd. Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton ... it would have been great anywhere.
