Barry Trotz got back to work on Saturday, still grieving the loss of his mother.
"Everybody loves their mom, I love my mom," the Islanders coach said after Saturday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. "Some of the things that I look back on that she did over the years molded me and my sister, just as my dad did. So, any success that we’ve had as a family or I’ve had personally, it’s for our parents."
Iris Helen Trotz, 78, passed away on Jan. 1 and associate coach Lane Lambert ran the Islanders’ bench for that afternoon’s 3-2 overtime win over the Oilers at UBS Arena plus the next four practices with Trotz absent from the team.