Trottier played junior and senior hockey in the Hull-Ottawa area before signing with the
Knoxville Knights of the
Eastern Hockey League in 1963. In 1963–64, Trottier was traded twice, to the
Philadelphia Ramblers of the EHL and the
Port Huron Flags of the
International Hockey League, totaling 33 goals and 31 assists in 69 games. During the off-season, he was traded to the IHL's
Dayton Gems, with whom he played the next three years. In 201 games with Dayton, he scored 185 goals and registered 170 assists. He led the IHL in playoff goals (10), assists (9), and points (19) in the 1966
Turner Cup playoffs, and led the IHL with 71 goals in 1966–67. He was a second-team IHL All-Star in 1964–65 and 1965–66, and a first-team All-Star in 1966–67. In 1967, Trottier signed with the
Buffalo Bisons of the
American Hockey League. He led the AHL in goal scoring with 45 in 1968–69 and 55 in the Bisons' final season, 1969–70. In December 1968, the New York Rangers purchased his contract, and he appeared in two NHL games. In June 1970, the Maple Leafs claimed him in the
Intra-League Draft. He scored 28 goals and 17 assists in 113 games with the Leafs. In 1972, the
Dayton Arrows of the WHA claimed Trottier in the league's first General Player Draft. Later that year, his rights were traded to Ottawa. He scored 26 goals with the Nationals in 1972–73 and 27 more in 1973–74, after the team moved to Toronto. In November 1974, the Toros traded him to the Michigan Stags. He finished out the season with Dayton of the IHL. After spending the 1975–76 season as playing coach of the
Buffalo Norsemen of the
North American Hockey League, he retired. He also coached the
Hull Olympiques for part of the 1977–78 season. ==Post-playing career==