Several players had the same message for Barry Trotz shortly after he was hired as the Islanders coach but perhaps none as forceful as Cal Clutterbuck.
"One of the first phone calls I had with him was that he was going to be surprised with how eager the guys were to get this going and be good," Clutterbuck said. "We had some confidence in each other."
Three seasons later and the Islanders are three-for-three in qualifying for the playoffs under Trotz after missing the previous two seasons before he and president and general manager Lou Lamoriello took over the team.