Several hockey players have done many things on and off the ice. Here are 8 fun facts you may or may not know about #8 Jacob Trouba. Some include his stats and other odd, random tidbits.
1. Stats
In 2012, Trouba was drafted by Winnipeg in the first round. His first game was during 2013-14 where he accumulated 29 points in 65 games. He was also in the running for the Calder Memorial Trophy the same year but was not one of the finalists. Nathan MacKinnon ended up taking this one.
On June 17, 2019, Trouba was traded to the NY Rangers for a 2019 first-round pick and Neal Pionk. Since then he has had 96 points in 248 games for the Rangers. He also brings a physical presence, which is clearly shown by the hits he gives to his opponents.
2. Other Rangers who wore #8
Trouba became the 25th player to wear #8. Others include two-time Stanley Cup Winner Dave Balon and Bob Nevin, and two-time World Hockey Association (WHA) winner Jim Dorey.
The first to wear #8 was Hall of Famer and four-time Stanley Cup winner Allan Stanley, who was also captain from 1951-53. Stanley, Nevin, and Trouba are the only players on the Rangers to wear #8 and be captain.
3. Donnie and Vito
Many may already be aware of this, but Trouba has two huskies, Donnie and Vito. He says Donnie has been there for him through the good and the bad, but when it came to getting another dog, he wasn’t for it. That was all his wife’s idea. Trouba didn’t have much say in that decision, especially when his wife flew out to get Vito, whom he fell in love with.
Trouba also talks about how it is hard to puppy train, especially living in an apartment with no yard. I could only imagine. Having one dog can be tough, but now having a dog and puppy with no backyard? That’s rough.
4. Renting Ryan Reeve’s house
Trouba mentions that at one time, he rented Ryan Reeves’ house for two years in Winnipeg. He said not many people know about this. He also mentioned while renting Reeves’ house, that there were many occasions where he would be chasing Donnie in the cold in his underwear at night. Yikes! Chasing a dog around in the freezing cold, with snow on the ground? I have experience with that, having dogs my whole life, but I was nice and bundled up.
5. Australia and Kangaroos
One time, Trouba went to a kangaroo exhibit in Australia where he was able to feed them. He liked the experience, especially since him being an animal lover. I thought this was cool because I am an animal lover myself and I figured there would be others who thought the same. If I were given a choice of what exotic animal to pet or fee, I would choose a tiger. Is anyone else for that?
6. Fishing
Want to go on Aaron Ekblad’s boat? Trouba did and had a good time, although they didn’t get too far in terms of catching fish. They fish a lot in Florida, but they ended up going out to the Bahamas this particular day in search of Yellowfin Tuna. They caught one but saw way too many sharks for Trouba’s liking.
7. Andrew Copp and Andy Copp
Andrew Copp and Trouba were teammates for several years before being drafted. They are good friends because of this, but how did this come about? First of all, they are both Michigan natives, both Trouba and Copp. Andy Copp, Andrew’s dad, was their coach. Andy was Trouba’s coach for around eight years.
Trouba and Copp’s paths came together again after being a part of the USA National Development Team from 2010-2012. Shortly after, both became students at the University of Michigan in 2012-2013.
After Trouba was drafted by the Jets, Copp still kept in touch. A few years later, Copp was drafted by the Jets. What are the chances?
It really does seem like they can’t get away from each other and it doesn’t end there. Trouba ends up with the Rangers in 2019, but Copp joins up with him again in 2022. We will see how long this drought lasts for them now.
8. Trouba and Kelly Tyson
It is ironic how these two met. Showing up at a bar on Halloween night in 2012, complete strangers to each other, but dressing up as Superman and Superwoman? It was inevitable that they met, which they obviously did.
Although they did start dating, they ended up breaking it off because their career paths were completely different. Trouba was a first-round draft pick for the Jets and Tyson had planned on going to Sydney, Australia after graduating. Tyson was a Neuroscience Major at the University of Michigan.
After breaking up and Tyson doing her Masters in Australia, Trouba began visiting her. Soon after, they become a couple again. Their relationship was strained because of their careers. They did their best to make things work.
It was hard on Tyson because she dreamed of medical school, but she took a job in Washington, D.C. The reason for this was that she understood how an NHL career works. She didn’t want to be set applying to programs in Canada when it could be any moment Trouba could be sent elsewhere.
Eventually, Tyson went to Winnipeg, spending a year and a half there applying to medical schools. She narrowed her search to schools in Florida. It helped that Trouba made Fort Lauderdale his off-season home after having trained there. Tyson finally made her decision to be at Nova Southeastern University, which she started in 2017.
After Trouba was traded to the Rangers, their future plans started making more sense as they started coming together. At this time, they had planned on getting married in 2018.
Fast forward to the present and they are married. Tyson now known as Dr. Kelly Tyson-Trouba resides at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. They currently live in Lower Manhattan after selling their Ft. Lauderdale, FL home for $1.9 million in cash.
The only thing that would make things better for the Trouba would be if a Stanley Cup came their way. There is always hope!