Barry Trotz’s departure shocks Washington, D.C., reporter in live Senate hearing

Kelly Cohen of the Washington Examiner found out about Barry Trotz’s departure despite covering the Senate Judiciary Committee, and couldn’t hide her shock.

In case you haven’t got a gauge on how surprising Barry Trotz’s departure from the Washington Capitals is yet, this should give you a good idea.

While some people believe that sports and politics should never mix, there are times when it can’t be avoided. However, this is one of those rare instances where we’re glad that they mixed, since we got a viral video out of it.

During a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, on the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server no less, the Washington Examiner’s Kelly Cohen received a notification on her phone saying Barry Trotz resigned. Already sticking out by wearing a white dress in a sea of black suits, her reaction to the news quickly overshadowed Patrick Leahy’s statement:

Cohen herself confirmed that’s what she was freaking out over in a series of tweets:

Even though journalists aren’t supposed to be fans, Cohen couldn’t hide her fandom during a professional moment. For a job as serious as covering the White House, acting like this in the middle of a hearing could’ve resulted in her getting fired. But luckily, all parties involved have been able to laugh it off.

Cohen isn’t alone in her shock over Trotz’s departure. It’s not often that a coach wins a Stanley Cup for a team then resigns the following season, but the reasoning behind it was money. Trotz’s salary was already a modest $1.5 million, and winning the Cup kicked in a two-year extension with a $300,000 raise. However, he wasn’t happy with those terms and has decided to test the market instead. Now, the only two teams with coaching vacancies are the Capitals and New York Islanders.

Next: New York Islanders should make every effort to hire Barry Trotz

Even in a summer where John Tavares, John Carlson and James van Riemsdyk are free agents, Trotz could end up being the first domino of the offseason. Hopefully, Cohen won’t be caught on camera when he decides where to coach next.