Barry Trotz wants Capitals to have 'gang mentality'

The streets are safer in the NHL these days, but Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz still believes there's a place for on-ice policing.

Trotz commended the swift reprisal from fourth-liner Chris Brown, who immediately came to the defense of Nate Schmidt after Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jarred Tinordi laid a licking on the Capitals prospect Sunday night.

"You want to have that gang mentality," Trotz said via CSN. "You don’t want your guys to be cheap-shotted and then sit on the bench and say, ‘That was a bad penalty.’ You gotta stick up for the guy next to you.

"You gotta make sure you got his back, and I think if you have that, you have the mentality you’re in a safe environment and you play with a lot more trust."

It's safe to assume that Tom Wilson, who accounted for nearly 40 percent of Washington's scraps as a rookie last season, has a fan in his new head coach.