Management of the Nashville Predators announced today that head coach Barry Trotz has been signed to a two-year deal. Trotz has been with the franchise since day-one and remains the league’s 2nd longest-serving coach with a single team.
Trotz says the Predators are prepared to be a perennial playoff contender.
Despite losing to the Detroit Redwings in the first round series this year, he says there’s a different attitude coming from the team than in years past. Players like David Legwand, who played with a severely bruised foot, are making sacrifices for the team.
“Another great story, Scotty Nichol. The doctor says you shouldn’t play. Scotty says I’m playing. He says worst case scenario, it shatters you put a bunch of screws in my thumb and we go again. That tells me we’re getting close to that playoff type of mentality that, hey, it doesn’t matter. It’s playoffs.”
The Predators have made it to the playoffs for the past four years but lost in the first round. In ten years, the franchise has not yet won a post-season road game.
Trotz says he’s proud of the 2008 season, especially considering the team lost many of its high profile players due to budget cuts last year ahead of the new ownership group taking over. He says the team is in a more stable place now.
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