Name Rocky Trottier | Role Ice hockey player | |
Rocky Trottier (born April 11, 1964 in Climax, Saskatchewan and raised in Val Marie, Saskatchewan) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 38 games in the National Hockey League over two seasons with the New Jersey Devils.
Trottier, whose brother Bryan was part of the New York Islanders' dynasty of the early 1980s, was drafted by the then-unnamed New Jersey team with their first pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft (the Devils had just moved from Denver, Colorado to New Jersey and had not chosen a name yet). He was one of two first round picks the Devils had in that draft; the other, Ken Daneyko, went on to play for the Devils for twenty seasons and was part of every New Jersey playoff run until his retirement at the end of the 2002-2003 season.
Professional career
Trottier made his NHL debut in 1983-84 season, appearing in five games and compiling two points (one goal, one assist). He began the 1984-85 season with the Maine Mariners, of the AHL, before being recalled to the New Jersey Devils. On December 17, 1984, during the Devils' 5-2 win at the Brendan Byrne Arena, a penalty shot was awarded after Wayne Gretzky threw his stick in an attempt to stop Trottier's shot. This was the first penalty shot attempt and goal in the Devils' franchise history, coming against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Andy Moog. After a less-than-spectacular season, Rocky was sent back to Maine where he played two seasons before being released. Upon his release, Trottier signed a contract to play in the 2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey) with EV Füssen (Germany). After one season in Germany, Rocky returned to the AHL to play with the Hershey Bears. At the end of the 1989-90 season, Rocky retired from professional hockey.