Barry Trotz 'humbled' to be inducted into Predators' Golden Hall

Chants of "Barry! Barry!" resounded throughout Bridgestone Arena prior to the Nashville Predators game against the Washington Capitals. The former coach of both teams, Barry Trotz , became the newest member of the Predators' Golden Hall on Oct. 29, with the ceremony taking place at center ice before the game. Majority owner Bill Haslam, former general manager David Poile, and CEO Sean Henry joined Trotz for the presentation. "I've been blessed to work with three wonderful organizations, and two of them are here tonight," Trotz said during his induction speech. "I'm honored and humbled to be inducted into the Golden Hall and standing beside Predators greats." Trotz is the sixth member of the Golden Hall, which was established in 2023 to honor the franchise's elite players and important figures. He joins Poile, goaltender Pekka Rinne, defenseman Shea Weber and broadcasting duo Pete Weber and Terry Crisp . Trotz concluded his speech by thanking the fans in attendance: "Thank you for making Smashville my home. Thank you, I love you, and God bless." After his speech, Trotz took part in a ceremonial puck drop featuring Predators captain Roman Josi and Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. Trotz, 64, was named the Predators' first coach in 1997 and led Nashville for 15 seasons (1998-2014). He oversaw the team's first playoff appearance in 2004, its first playoff series win in 2011, and remains the team's all-time winningest coach with 557 wins. He finished with a 19-31 record in 51 playoff games with the Predators. After leaving Nashville in 2014, Trotz coached four seasons with the Capitals (2014-18) and four seasons with the New York Islanders (2018-22). He won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018, beating the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Trotz retired from coaching following the 2021-22 season, then returned to Nashville in 2023 to take over as general manager following the retirement of Poile. He managed the Predators for three seasons until announcing his retirement in February 2026. The Predators hired Chris MacFarland to replace Trotz in June. Trotz, who is from Dauphin, Manitoba, made Nashville his second home during his NHL career. He helped grow hockey in Tennessee and gave back to the community through various charitable efforts, including Best Buddies of Tennessee and the Peterson for Parkinson's Foundation. TROTZ: How Barry Trotz carved Predators legacy that started with side-of-the-road job offer Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at  jdaugherty@gannett.com , follow him on X at  @alexdaugherty1  or check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page  @tennessean_preds .