Bryan Trottier
A consummate two-way center whose hockey intelligence fueled the dynasties of the Islanders and Penguins, amassing seven Stanley Cup rings.
Born 1956 (age 70)·Canadian and American ice hockey player and coach·Birthday: July 17·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bryan Trottier was the engine room of championship teams, a player whose value far exceeded his statistics. Drafted by the New York Islanders, his robust, complete game—featuring fierce face-off prowess, defensive responsibility, and pinpoint playmaking—became the template for the franchise's rise. He was the league's MVP in 1979 and the playoff MVP in 1980, the cornerstone of the Islanders' four consecutive Stanley Cups. In a stunning second act, he brought his veteran savvy to the Pittsburgh Penguins, mentoring a young Mario Lemieux and winning two more titles. With a seventh ring as a coach, his career is a masterclass in winning. Trottier's quiet, understated demeanor off the ice belied a fierce competitor whose hockey IQ made everyone around him better for two decades.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bryan was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bryan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Bryan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won four consecutive Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders (1980-1983) and two with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991, 1992).
- Awarded the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1979 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1980.
- Recorded six points in a single period in 1978, a feat that remains tied for the NHL record.
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
Did You Know?
He is of Métis and Chippewa descent through his father.
He holds dual citizenship in Canada and the United States.
He once scored five goals in a single game, a feat he accomplished twice in his career.
He served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche when they won the Stanley Cup in 2001.
“I wasn't the fastest skater or had the hardest shot. I just tried to be in the right place at the right time.”
