Bryan Trottier: Hall of Fame Heckler!
Filed Under (NHL) by admin on 23-01-2009
Tagged Under : Brian Bellows, Bryan Trottier, NHL
Well, I posted recently on the greatness of Bryan Trottier and included the video that the Hockey Hall of Fame put together on his legendary career. But for those who weren’t watching carefully at the time, it may not have been evident that Trottier was as competitive as any, and that mean streak made its way into his on-ice trash talk.
Let’s just say that while he didn’t make any references to “sloppy seconds” (a la Sean Avery), he did coin a fresh term as he and teammate Kevin Stevens tore a stripe off of Minnesota North Stars legend Brian Bellows in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals. As fantastic as the heckling is, I wonder if Bellows would really be that insulted. Could it be taken as a compliment for any self-respecting hockey player?
The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1991 and in the following year. Trottier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame with 1,425 career points (and 184 in the playoffs). But it has been often overlooked that Bellows had a pretty spectacular career of his own. He retired in 1999 with 1,022 career points (and 122 in the playoffs), including a career year with 55 goals and 99 points in 1989-90.
Two players with Hall of Fame skills, but only one with a Hall of Fame mouth!