Jacob Trouba Q&A: On leadership, big hits and what changed after his moment last December

On Dec. 3, 2022, Jacob Trouba had a moment on the ice at Madison Square Garden. In his first season as captain, Trouba’s team was floundering through what would be a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the worst teams in the NHL, when he livened things up a bit. First, he delivered a huge, clean hit on Chicago’s Andreas Athanasiou, prompting Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews to drop the gloves with Trouba.

After that fight ended, Trouba heaved his helmet against the boards and yelled, “Wake the f— up!” at his own bench. Even though the New York Rangers lost that game, they would win their next seven — likely saving coach Gerard Gallant’s job in the short term — and the Rangers are 62-22-10 in their last 94 regular-season games since then. And Trouba, under new coach Peter Laviolette, has been a far more impactful player for a team that’s been at or near the top of the NHL standings all through 2023-24.

As we near the halfway mark of this season and with the Blackhawks having just made another visit to MSG, The Athletic sat down with Trouba to discuss that moment from last season, his leadership and the big hits debate that has raged around the league this season.

Note: Some questions and answers have been edited for style, length and clarity.

When you look back on that night against Chicago last December, do you see it as a turning point in that season or more of a moment in time?

I think more of a moment. I didn’t like where we were as a group, I think everyone was kind of on the same page with that, and something needed to change. Hopefully, that was the thing that needed to change. I didn’t know what the reaction would be to it, it wasn’t predetermined or anything. And I don’t know if it was by chance or whatever, but things seemed to turn in the right direction. (From) the end of last season right into this season, I think we’ve been a pretty good hockey team.

On Dec. 3., 2022, Trouba heaved his helmet against the boards and yelled, “Wake the f— up!” at his own bench. (Jared Silber / NHLI via Getty Images)

Why do you think last year’s team got off to such a tough start?

I think part of it was going into last year coming off the conference final (appearance), there was the (feeling of), “Now it’s your time.” And to not start how we wanted to start, that’s hard. Guys feel pressure, they feel the normal things you’re supposed to feel in this locker room. It’s not always easy, and that crept up into us. We were tight, a little nervous about, “What if we don’t win?” What if this, what if that. And then you just kind of forget about it and go play hockey.

Aside from the coaching change, what’s been different coming out of the gate this season?

We took it on the chin in the playoffs last year, and now we’ve come into this year and we’re just playing hockey. That’s been one of our biggest traits so far — have fun playing, have fun at practice, enjoy what we’re doing here, and we’ve built a culture and identity of us enjoying coming to the rink. We’re going to be a better team, get better results on the ice if that’s the case. A lot of the noise going out of last year and into the summer, the coaching change and all that, you come in and you think, “What else could happen now?” We’ve been through it, come out the other side and now it’s just, play hockey.

In your second year as captain, has that side of your job been easier?

It’s more of the situation we’re in. I’d guess this year looks easier because we’re in a better spot. Things are easy when things are good. When things aren’t easy, that’s when you have to do your job and people look to you to make the change, turn the tide in the right direction. When things are bad, that’s when you find out the type of leader that you really are. So this year probably looks easier from (the) outside.

Do all the team-building things that Peter Laviolette has brought help you as captain?

I think so. The more we’re unified, the deeper knowledge we have of each other, the better it is. We’re all working together for the same goal, but we also have lives and families and personal things outside the rink. To be able to bring those things together where you feel this place is comfortable and welcoming and you’re excited to come to the rink every day, it makes a difference in the way we play and how we feel about each other.

Your season has been a big turnaround from the start of last season, too. Is there anything in Laviolette’s system that’s helped your game?

Every coach is different. You can’t really compare him to Turk (Gallant), same way it’d be hard to compare him to Paul Maurice, who I had in Winnipeg. You’ll find certain things that are easier, some things that aren’t. Lavy’s come in and put everyone in a pretty good spot to succeed and everyone’s responded pretty well. He’s put a little more on our plate to do in our room and he supports us with our ideas and our thoughts. It goes a long way.

You’re leading the league in blocked shots with 121 and there’s been a lot of blocks in tight. It seemed last year you’d block a shot and it might end up on a stick or deflecting into your net. Is there anything you can actually control to change that?

It’s not something I’ve tried to do more, it’s just kind of happening. There (was) an injury to start last year, which was frustrating. Then things don’t go your way, you don’t get bounced when you’re dealing with something like that, it just always seems to happen. But those things happen and you have to go through it. That’s how you figure your way through things. It’s more how you come out the other side and what you’re made of.

You said recently that if people are upset with your hits, they should be upset with the NHL rule book, not with you, since your hits are all legal. We’ve seen John Tortorella say recently that some players aren’t playing with the expectation to be hit, which makes some of these big hits even worse. Do you feel that’s the case, that there are more players who don’t expect to be hit and it’s creating more of a problem now?

I honestly don’t think those hits have always been there. I do agree that it’s become more common for people to put themselves in a bad situation. (Hitting) was part of my game in college and before that, then it wasn’t as prevalent early in my NHL career. That it’s happening more now, I don’t know if it’s more a product of players putting themselves in situations or what it is, but it does seem in the last couple years there’s more opportunities, you could say, to make those hits. It’s not something I’m chasing, it’s more you see it when it’s there.

Maybe there’s a study to be done when they changed the rules (in youth hockey) to only allow hitting at an older age, maybe that has something to do with it. But there’s definitely been a difference.

(Top photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)