Capitals Erase Barry Trotz From Season-Opening Banner-Hanging Ceremony 

The Capitals did their big banner raising ceremony before Wednesday night’s season opener. It was very long! It included both a four-and-a-half minute montage set to Mumford & Sons, and a three-and-a-half minute montage set to Queen, and then an excruciatingly slow two-and-a-half minute raising of the banner. What it did not include was any image or mention or acknowledgment at all of Barry Trotz:

TJ Oshie’s dad, Max Scherzer, several brands of cereal, various animals, and multiple tiny children got more screen-time than the man who coached the damn team. See for yourself:

The Capitals made Trotz serve as a lame duck coach during the team’s Stanley Cup-winning season, then reportedly refused to budge on terms of an extension clause that Trotz viewed as unfairly low given what he’d accomplished, which ultimately led to Trotz stepping down and moving on to the Islanders. Or maybe Trotz was being stubborn. But contract differences happen. Trotz was the head coach of the first ever Stanley Cup-winning Capitals team, and failing to acknowledge him during season-opening ceremonies is lame and petty.