Stecher hurls everything into making the Canucks
Rookie blue-liner kind of player who leaves it all on the ice
In a recent interview, Trevor Linden told a story that says just about everything about Troy Stecher. Not long after the Canucks outmanoeuvred 20 teams to sign him — yes, he was that desired — the 22-year-old showed up for his first workouts with an NHL team.
“First couple of days, he pushed himself so hard in the gym, he puked,” Linden told Sportsnet. “The kind of kid that goes to the garbage can, pukes and continues his workout.” Yes, that is Stecher, all in a sentence. “I wanted to make an impression,” Stecher said. “Coming out of college, winning and celebrating, I probably wasn’t in the best shape of my life. “I wanted to push myself to keep up. I threw up for the first week. When I did it, the workout wasn’t even three-quarters over, so I couldn’t quit.”
Quit is one thing no one has seen from Stecher, even when he didn’t make the Canucks coming out of training camp, the odd reasons for which having nothing to do with who were the team’s best six defencemen.
But there is a rule in Vancouver for defencemen who get benched or demoted. The next injury is always a week away. Just wait, you’ll get your chance. Unless you’re Keith Ballard.
When the predictable run of injuries started, Stecher got his second chance and made the most of it. After Tuesday’s game in New Jersey, he has played 17 NHL contests with at least 20 minutes of ice time in the majority of them. It has all happened rather quickly. The 17 games have been in six weeks, which has some worried about Stecher’s minutes. His seasons in college were 44 games long and played on Fridays and Saturdays.
If this keeps up, is Stecher going to last?
You know how Stecher reacted to that question? One big smile. And then he laughed.
“It’s funny because people assume in college you only play 40 games and that’s true,” said the former North Dakota Fighting Hawk.
“We played 44 games and we won the whole thing.
“People forget the season starts later, so you have intense practices, ones that last 21/2 hours with a dry scrape (of the ice) in between, early.
“Then from the start of the year through Christmas, you’re on the ice for two hours, Monday and Tuesday. Both Wednesday and Thursday are lighter.
“But those days you’re on for two hours, it’s not easy. They bag skate you because they know you’re not playing for a couple days.
“It prepares you. It’s not the same game form. But I was in the greatest shape of my life when I was playing in college.” He’ll need that now. With his play, Stecher is making it difficult for the Canucks to send him down again. If he keeps it up, that’s just not going to happen.
Even Willie Desjardins is now putting Stecher’s season this year on a similar level to what Ben Hutton did a year ago. “I think it’s fair,” Desjardins said. “Both guys we didn’t expect to make the team.
“Both guys have played with lots of confidence. They weren’t worried about where they played.
“I’ve always said I like Hutton because when times get tough, he wants the puck. Stecher is doing the same things. There’s a good comparison there.”
“They (NCAA hockey coaches) bag skate you because they know you’re not playing for a couple days.” — Troy Stecher