from Dave Caldwell of the New York Times,
Barry Trotz’s snow-white goatee is gone.
He works for Lou Lamoriello now, and Lamoriello prefers that his employees adopt the Yankee Look — clean-shaven, hair trimmed, neatly dressed. It is the way George Steinbrenner wanted his Yankees to look and the way they still look today.
Lamoriello, Trotz and Trotz’s clean-shaven face are all evidence of the Islanders’ extreme makeover this off-season....
Trotz, who left Washington in a contract dispute, said he would not have joined the Islanders had Lamoriello not been in charge. Trotz, in fact, thought he would take a year off after coaching the Capitals for four years. He knew Lamoriello only well enough to say hello at league functions.
But when Lamoriello calls, you listen. Nine years have passed since he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, his occupation’s lifetime achievement award, but Lamoriello still thinks hockey is challenging and fun.
“If hockey isn’t any fun, why do you do it?” Lamoriello said after a recent practice.
With the Devils, he built a model franchise that rolled to three Stanley Cup titles in nine seasons. The Devils had a no-frills structure centered on teamwork and work ethic. Good grooming is part of the commitment.
So Trotz, 56, decided he was all in, happily adopting the Yankee Look with other Islanders employees. Trotz rubbed his bare chin after a recent practice, then smiled and said: “I’m O.K. with that. It separates us from everyone. Lou gets it totally. Everyone pushes boundaries on everything.”
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