ELMONT, N.Y. — Jeff Carter retired from the NHL in a memorable way, scoring a goal in his final game Wednesday night.

“I kind of knew coming in at the start of the year that this was it,” Carter said after scoring on the power play in the third period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

“It was time.”

Carter, 39, was joined in New York by his wife, children and other family members. To his surprise, the Islanders requested he take a victory lap that is normally reserved for home team players.

“That was nice,” Carter said. “Bo (Horvat) actually came up to me and said a couple of the guys wanted to talk after. That was really nice of them. There’s guys on that other side that have been around for a while, too — and I’ve played against quite a bit.

“A lot of respect for those guys.”

A classy move for a classy guy. pic.twitter.com/6OdoBgH2dc

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 18, 2024

Carter played for four franchises during his 19 seasons, including a couple of Stanley Cup champions while with the Los Angeles Kings from 2011-12 through 2020-21, when he was acquired by the Penguins at the trade deadline.

Once a fierce rival of the Penguins’ long-serving core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang,…

Barry Trotz — the biggest name and best resume on the NHL coaching market, as has been the case since the spring — had no interest in coaching the Vancouver Canucks. Or any other team, actually. Even the ones who hadn’t spent the last few months firing their head coach, bit by excruciating bit. Trotz, who called Bruce Boudreau after Vancouver made it official on Sunday, says he wants to coach again. Soon. Just not right now. He’s got a vacation to take.

“Absolutely. I’ve talked to a few teams. A couple teams even during the winter have reached out to me. I said, ‘No, I’m not I’m not going back. I’m going over to Europe with with my wife and some friends, and when I get back, I’ll be charged up,’” he told The Athletic Hockey Show.

Trotz, third on the all-time win list and a Stanley Cup champion with the Capitals in 2018, lost his job as Islanders coach after last season, when they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in his four seasons. It was his first time away from coaching in nearly 40 years, and he used it to take care of family business. All that occupied him until December, he said. Now, he’s ready to roll.

“I feel like I’ve accomplished what I needed to accomplish,” he said. “I’ve been staying on top of the league and staying…