Barry Trotz’s resignation from the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals on Monday caught many by surprise, including his own players.

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said he understands Trotz made a business decision to move on from the team, but it still wasn't easy seeing him leave.

“It’s hard when it happen right away, you know?” Ovechkin told the Washington Post. “First of all, thanks for him to be with us, to give us a chance to win the Cup. All of what he did was only for the team, not for personal-wise. But I’m pretty sure he will be fine and he will find what he wants. It’s sad, but it’s a business.”

Ovechkin spent the past four seasons playing under Trotz and won the Rocket Richard Trophy three times in that span. He credited Trotz for pushing him to be better.

“He’s been very good for me,” Ovechkin said of Trotz. “We’ve been back and forth all the time, you know? He was hard on me. He give me very good advice because he have experience and that’s the whole thing. When the coach know who you are and know how to use you, you just feel great.”

Niklas Backstrom, whose time with the Capitals dates back to 2007, said Trotz leaves behind a legacy of victory in Washington.

“Something you can’t take away from Barry is what he’s done to this team," Backstrom said. "Him and the coaching staff has been doing a tremendous job to just get us together. He’s been schooling us good these four years and we got a good finish out of it... Hopefully there’s no hard feelings. He’s always going to be remembered in Washington as a champion, which is great, which he deserves.”

The Capitals' Stanley Cup victory triggered a two-year extension that came with only $300,000 raise, leaving Trotz's salary at $1.8 million. He elected to resign rather than accept those terms.

The front-runner to replace Trotz in D.C. is believed to be associate head coach Todd Reirden. Ovechkin believes would a perfect fit.

“If it’s Todd, I’m sure lots of guys, everybody, going to be really happy,” Ovechkin said. “He’s a guy who’s a very good communicator, very good specialist and has lots of respect from us.”