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Vancouver Sun
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher might draw short straw if Mattias Ekholm returns but that's fine with him
When an NHL player is hurt in the postseason, the hoary cliché is 'next man up,' but when you're the ultimate battler, Troy Stecher, and you have been that next man until, uh, the first man Mattias Ekholm looks like he's coming back, then what? 'He's a better player than me, that's the reality of the world and the business we live in,' said Stecher, the Edmonton Oiler defender, who's never been a moper or a griper, just a teammate whose head is firmly wrapped around the obvious, that Ekholm, who may return for Game 4 against Dallas, is one of the NHL's best defencemen. 'He's probably our 1a or 1b, depending on how you look at Bouch (Evan Bouchard), one, what the public thinks he is. He's an elite defenceman in this league. He played in the 4 Nations, he's played for Team Sweden. He's been to the Cup final in Nashville (and here last spring). If healthy, I want him playing. Yeah, if I'm out, I will be disappointed, but he gives us a better chance to win,' said Stecher. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Taking one for the team. Honest stuff. 'I want to win a Stanley Cup, man. I don't want to talk poorly, but my time in Vancouver wasn't very good, we weren't very good in Arizona or Detroit. I just want to play on a contender… obviously I want to be in the line-up but at the end of the day, it's not my decision,' said Stecher. Nope. If Ekholm, who hasn't played any of the Oilers' playoff games, and none since April 11 against the San Jose Sharks here, returns Tuesday, it will be head coach Kris Knoblauch's call, along with Paul Coffey, who handles the defence. Stecher has been excellent as Darnell Nurse's partner, but he could draw the short straw if they decide Ekholm is ready and they go with six D. Or, maybe they act prudently and go with seven D and 11 forwards, and give Ekholm limited minutes to see how he is after significant undisclosed lower-body injury. Stecher, a small guy (184 lbs.) with a big heart like Kris Russell when he was here, has battled his lack of size for close to 600 NHL games. He's had a chip on his shoulder, as he should, because smaller players always have to prove they can play while big guys have to prove they can't in the coach's eyes. This situation now, maybe coming out for Ekholm, seems a metaphor for his career. 'Yeah, that's fair. I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no bad days in this league. I love what I do. Some days I maybe worry about my spot or my role. There were probably some long nights in regular season where I went home and was pretty concerned. But you wake up the next morning, put your hard hat and your work boots on, and you get to the rink,' he said. 'That's something my dad instilled in me at a young age. He said there's only two things you can control, your work ethic and your attitude,' said Stecher, whose father, Peter, who sold aluminum, copper and brass. He away in July of 2020 at 65, of complications from diabetes. 'He sold all the hand-railings at Rogers Arena in Vancouver,' said Troy, proudly. Safety first, although hockey players don't always think that at playoff time, including Stecher throwing his body in the way of shots or battling bigger guys. Ekholm wanted back in a while back, thought he was ready. But the Oilers have been winning, so why rush him? 'I'm really happy with our D corps so far,' said Ekholm, who doesn't know if he'll be eased into the line-up to see how his body holds up, or they play him with Bouchard for his usual 20 minutes, on the PK, against the other team's best player even strength. 'That's for the coaches. If you asked my head, I want to be back where I usually am, but my body may have a different say in that,' said Ekholm, who has been up in the pressbox watching, and he's a cheerleader but a terrible spectator. 'I've never been hurt in the playoffs before, and being hurt and knowing it would be a long stretch has been nerve-wracking, but with the guys (defence) doing so well…I've gotten used to it (sitting). But, it's not something I want to do anymore,' said Ekholm, who has a different perspective, of course, from up high. 'You think anybody can play in the NHL from the 500 level. You're thinking, 'Why did you make that pass?' Then, you're on the ice and it's the best league in the world.' Connor Brown won't be playing Game 4, maybe out with concussion protocol after the Alex Petrovic caught-in-the-train-tracks hit in the second period. Brown turned from the boards and was run over. Knoblauch engaged in a playoff exchange with a media guy on the play. 'How did you see the hit?' asked a scribe. 'Possibly the same way you saw it,' said Knoblauch. 'I thought it was a hard hit,' said the scribe. 'Hard would have been part of my answer, yeah,' laughed Knoblauch. 'And not clean is the second part?' he was asked. 'Those are your words, not mine,' chuckled Knoblauch, refusing to bite on an assessment. The Oilers coach isn't happy to lose his third-line winger, who has five goals and eight points. There was no penalty on the play, no second look by the NHL's Player Safety people, but Knoblauch may have felt Petrovic caught Brown up high, even though it seemed a shoulder block by a 6-foot-4, 220-pound player on a smaller six-footer who is 184 pounds. Maybe the shoulder did ride up into Brown's face, but the head didn't seem to be the target. 'I saw the puck coming towards him. I tried to make a hockey play and finish my check. I certainly wasn't trying to hurt him,' said the local product Petrovic. Whatever, Brown, already playing on a bad foot after blocking a shot in the Vegas series, is out, which hurts their PK unit. They would likely insert Viktor Arvidsson if they go with 12 forwards and not 11 and 7 D. Arvidsson has sat since Kasperi Kapanen replaced him for Game 4 against Vegas. Do the Oilers stick with Pick? Not anymore. While goalie Calvin Pickard was stopping shots with his teammates Monday at a nearly full skate, he's not supplanting Stu Skinner anytime soon. But Pickard, who came out of the Oiler bullpen to win six straight playoff games until suffering a lower-body problem when Tomas Hertl fell on the back of his leg in the crease in Game 2 against Vegas, will likely back up Skinner Tuesday. Nobody's saying what Pickard's injury was exactly. It could have been an ankle he twisted after Hertl fell on the bent Pickard leg. But he's back. 'I knew when it happened, right away, it wasn't great. Obviously you all saw that it was an awkward collision, kind of a freak play,' said Pickard. 'I was running on straight adrenaline the rest of the game (OT winner by Leon Draisaitl), obviously a big win. The next 36 hours until the next morning skate before Game 3, I tried to fool my brain into thinking I was OK. But I came out and tried to skate, and it wasn't good.' 'When it happened, I didn't think I would be back. Credit to our medical staff having me dialled in (with the proper treatment),' he said. He's been a spectator for the last six games with Skinner pitching three shutouts, and Sunday's game against Dallas, when he was outstanding, giving up just one goal. Pickard has been Skinner's biggest booster, cheering him on as he goes into the dressing room after wins. It's very much a partnership here. 'He's been awesome, no surprise to me. Very impressive for a guy of his age (26), the mental hurdles he's gone through. He always bounces back,' said Pickard, seconding Skinner's opinion that goalies are always under the microscope. They pick the position when they're young, but the pressure's not vise-like when you're 13. 'The goalie is always the centre of attention. You might like it as a kid, but you get to this level and there's a lot of pressure. He's been fun to watch, though,' said Pickard. This 'n that: Stars centre Roope Hintz who didn't play Game 3 after Nurse slashed him on the foot in Game 2 in Dallas, was on the ice for an optional skate Monday. 'You want to go every night but sometimes you just can't,' said Hintz, who was on the ice for about five minutes of the pre-game warmup Sunday, but that was it. 'I don't know how close I (was),' he told reporters. His coach Pete DeBoer says he has his fingers crossed that his No. 1 centre can return. 'He'll try again in warmup.'… Courtesy 1440's Jason Gregor, since Game 4 against Vegas, the Oilers have only given up 10 high danger chances off the rush, and six came in the 6-3 loss in Game 1 in Dallas… Being out-scored 9-1 the last two games to the Oilers has taken the good vibes out of the Dallas room after they opened with a 6-3 win. 'I don't think we're a light, fun bunch,' said DeBoer, when asked if he had one player who could keep things light. 'I had Joe Thornton and Brent Burns walking shirtless down the street in the Cup final (San Jose). We aren't them. We're more of a serious bunch.' Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. 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Ottawa Citizen
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher might draw short straw if Mattias Ekholm returns but that's fine with him
When an NHL player is hurt in the postseason, the hoary cliché is 'next man up,' but when you're the ultimate battler, Troy Stecher, and you have been that next man until, uh, the first man Mattias Ekholm looks like he's coming back, then what? Article content 'He's a better player than me, that's the reality of the world and the business we live in,' said Stecher, the Edmonton Oiler defender, who's never been a moper or a griper, just a teammate whose head is firmly wrapped around the obvious, that Ekholm, who may return for Game 4 against Dallas, is one of the NHL's best defencemen. Article content 'He's probably our 1a or 1b, depending on how you look at Bouch (Evan Bouchard), one, what the public thinks he is. He's an elite defenceman in this league. He played in the 4 Nations, he's played for Team Sweden. He's been to the Cup final in Nashville (and here last spring). If healthy, I want him playing. Yeah, if I'm out, I will be disappointed, but he gives us a better chance to win,' said Stecher. Article content Article content 'I want to win a Stanley Cup, man. I don't want to talk poorly, but my time in Vancouver wasn't very good, we weren't very good in Arizona or Detroit. I just want to play on a contender… obviously I want to be in the line-up but at the end of the day, it's not my decision,' said Stecher. Article content Nope. If Ekholm, who hasn't played any of the Oilers' playoff games, and none since April 11 against the San Jose Sharks here, returns Tuesday, it will be head coach Kris Knoblauch's call, along with Paul Coffey, who handles the defence. Article content Article content Stecher has been excellent as Darnell Nurse's partner, but he could draw the short straw if they decide Ekholm is ready and they go with six D. Or, maybe they act prudently and go with seven D and 11 forwards, and give Ekholm limited minutes to see how he is after significant undisclosed lower-body injury. Article content Article content Stecher, a small guy (184 lbs.) with a big heart like Kris Russell when he was here, has battled his lack of size for close to 600 NHL games. He's had a chip on his shoulder, as he should, because smaller players always have to prove they can play while big guys have to prove they can't in the coach's eyes. Article content 'Yeah, that's fair. I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no bad days in this league. I love what I do. Some days I maybe worry about my spot or my role. There were probably some long nights in regular season where I went home and was pretty concerned. But you wake up the next morning, put your hard hat and your work boots on, and you get to the rink,' he said.
Calgary Herald
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher might draw short straw if Mattias Ekholm returns but that's fine with him
When an NHL player is hurt in the postseason, the hoary cliché is 'next man up,' but when you're the ultimate battler, Troy Stecher, and you have been that next man until, uh, the first man Mattias Ekholm looks like he's coming back, then what? Article content Article content 'He's a better player than me, that's the reality of the world and the business we live in,' said Stecher, the Edmonton Oiler defender, who's never been a moper or a griper, just a teammate whose head is firmly wrapped around the obvious, that Ekholm, who may return for Game 4 against Dallas, is one of the NHL's best defencemen. Article content 'He's probably our 1a or 1b, depending on how you look at Bouch (Evan Bouchard), one, what the public thinks he is. He's an elite defenceman in this league. He played in the 4 Nations, he's played for Team Sweden. He's been to the Cup final in Nashville (and here last spring). If healthy, I want him playing. Yeah, if I'm out, I will be disappointed, but he gives us a better chance to win,' said Stecher. Article content Article content 'I want to win a Stanley Cup, man. I don't want to talk poorly, but my time in Vancouver wasn't very good, we weren't very good in Arizona or Detroit. I just want to play on a contender… obviously I want to be in the line-up but at the end of the day, it's not my decision,' said Stecher. Article content Nope. If Ekholm, who hasn't played any of the Oilers' playoff games, and none since April 11 against the San Jose Sharks here, returns Tuesday, it will be head coach Kris Knoblauch's call, along with Paul Coffey, who handles the defence. Article content Article content Stecher has been excellent as Darnell Nurse's partner, but he could draw the short straw if they decide Ekholm is ready and they go with six D. Or, maybe they act prudently and go with seven D and 11 forwards, and give Ekholm limited minutes to see how he is after significant undisclosed lower-body injury. Article content Article content Stecher, a small guy (184 lbs.) with a big heart like Kris Russell when he was here, has battled his lack of size for close to 600 NHL games. He's had a chip on his shoulder, as he should, because smaller players always have to prove they can play while big guys have to prove they can't in the coach's eyes. Article content 'Yeah, that's fair. I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no bad days in this league. I love what I do. Some days I maybe worry about my spot or my role. There were probably some long nights in regular season where I went home and was pretty concerned. But you wake up the next morning, put your hard hat and your work boots on, and you get to the rink,' he said.
Vancouver Sun
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Oilers Notebook: Coach Kris Knoblauch coy on who's in net for Game 5, but they're riding Calvin Pickard
Article content So, the Edmonton Oiler net is Calvin Pickard's going forward now, right? Article content Two straight wins after the Oilers fell behind 2-0 in Los Angeles, 38 stops in Game 4 in the goalie battle with Kings' Darcy Kuemper. Is it time to ride the Oilers backup until the series ends with Stu Skinner staying on the bench? Article content 'We'll evaluate it and make that decision tomorrow,' said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, as usual playing coy with his goalies while it's Kuemper, the Vezina trophy finalist, every game for the Kings, even if he's given up 11 of his 16 goals in the third periods of games when the Oilers are into rally-cap mode. Article content Article content Knoblauch could have said 'whaddya think, I'm an idiot? Of course we're sticking with the guy who's winning us games. I'm not stupid' but he wasn't that bold. Article content Article content Yet, Pickard's faced 69 shots in the last two games as the starter and has stopped the bleeding. He'll be starting Game 5 in Los Angeles. He got two starts in the second round against Vancouver last spring when Skinner faltered before regaining his footing and helping to get the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but this would be a playoff first here — three-in-a-row for Pickard. Article content The goaltending as a whole in this series is far from spectacular, but Skinner, Pickard and Kuemper aren't alone in that scenario. Connor Hellebuyck, a slam-dunk to win his third Vezina in Winnipeg, has an .817 save percentage in their tied series with St. Louis . In Vegas, Cup champion Adin Hill is .854 in his four games against Minnesota, Linus Ullmark is .848 in Ottawa in the match-up with Toronto. Article content Article content Pickard is .889 in the series (eight goals on 72 shots; he relieved Skinner in Game 2). Skinner is .810 (11 goals on 58 shots in his two starts in Los Angeles) and Kuemper is .881 (16 goals allowed on 134 shots in the four games). Article content Article content Pickard was beaten by Trevor Moore's quick shot (five-hole) from the slot after Phil Danault dug the puck out, Warren Foegele, in behind the Oilers defence, and Kevin Fiala scored on a breakaway in Game 4. Article content In a perfect world, Kings forward Quinton Byfield gets the puck out along the boards with 35 seconds left in the third period, and the Kings hold on to their 3-2 lead, and he flips the puck into the neutral zone to kill time or he bangs one off the boards rather than trying to make a play past Evan Bouchard. But, Oilers president of hockey ops Jeff Jackson's former agent/client is 22, the heat was turned up high, and Bouchard kept the puck in and shortly thereafter, it's tied. Article content 'He tried to chip it out, and their guy somehow got a stick on it,' said Foegele. Their guy isn't just any guy. Bouchard could be in Foegele's wedding party this summer. ' It happens, it's part of the game and he was trying to do the right thing.' Article content 'I'm not worried about that play one bit for Quinton. I'm proud of the 28 minutes he gave us tonight, how hard he played. You shake those things off. It doesn't go your way every single time,' said Kings head coach Jim Hiller. Article content Bouchard's goal (59:31) was the second latest game-tying goal in Oilers. Article content Bouchard's back-to-back two-goal defenceman games ties him with current Kings' GM Rob Blake, Al Iafrate and Denis Potvin in NHL history. Article content Leaving well enough alone Article content There were some howls when Knoblauch didn't go for a coach's challenge for possible goalie (Pickard) interference to wipe out Foegele's 2-0 goal in the second period in Game 4. Pickard was complaining but it fell on deaf ears with his boss. Article content Article content 'We were looking at it but we didn't consider it for very long. It would be different if there was some separation between the puck and the pad or he had pushed the pad then that would be goalie interference. But, the puck was lodged right on the pad. The player has free will to make a play on that puck. And he did. I thought it would have been a failed challenge,' said Knoblauch. And while they had stopped the first two Kings' PP tries, they were still 7-for-14 at the time. Article content Lots of spectator time Article content Oiler defenceman Ty Emberson played 8:59 in Game 3 and 8:34 in Game 4, with no shifts after the midway point of the second period Sunday, just 6:32 ES. Did he just get lost in the shuffle or was it a case of the Oilers falling behind, and not many penalty-kills either night where Emberson is a constant? Article content Article content 'Ty has done an outstanding on the penalty-kill and we need for that. He's a good defensive player but when you look at our other defencemen there's others who provide more offensively (John) Klingberg, Bouchard, (Darnell) Nurse, (Jake) Walman, (Brett) Kulak,' said Knoblauch. Article content 'He didn't play badly but we were chasing the game and needed a goal and the other guys could handle the minutes. Then into overtime, we had a player who hadn't played for such a long time, now it's more difficult. But no issues with Ty going forward.' Article content Knoblauch has defenceman Troy Stecher healthy and ready now but may stick with same group for Game 5. Article content This 'n that: The Kings were plus 16 in goal differential in regular-season in the third period and they're minus 6 in four playoff games. Article content The Oilers managed to kill off all three of the Kings power plays and they only had three shots. Article content 'It was assistant coach) Mark Stuart's birthday. Pretty nice present for him,' said Knoblauch, of his coach who looks after the PK. Article content Face-offs are funny business. Article content In Game 3, Oilers won 59 per cent of the draws, in Game 4, just 46 per cent. Connor McDavid was 10-2 in Game 3, 6-4 in Game 4. Anze Kopitar was 6-8 in Game 3, 17-7 in Game 4. Article content Leon Draisaitl's four-point night in Game 4 was his eighth in the playoffs, tying him with Mario Lemieux for fifth most in NHL history. Wayne Gretzky had, um, 26. Jari Kurri and Mark Messier (11 each) and current Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey had nine. Article content Oilers winger Zach Hyman had 12 hits in Game 4 — career high. Hits are subjective but nobody was safe with Hyman leaving the visiting team in white and silver, black and blue. Article content Article content Walman, still not 100 percent and playing through an undisclosed injury, had one of those 'I'm firing everything at the net' nights in Game 4. He had three shots that Kuemper stopped, five that were blocked and six that went wide. Article content The stats crew wasn't very kind to Oilers centre Mattias Janmark. They had him losing all eight of his face-offs. Article content In game 3, the Kings dressed Jordan Spence as their No. 6 D, and he played 2:55, clearly a lack of trust even in a veteran who played 79 of the 82 league games In Game 4, they switched it up and inserted Jacob Moverare, who got into 47 regular-season contests, and he got even less time, 2:26 in what was a 78-minute game. Article content Clearly assistant coach DJ Smith, who used to be head coach in Ottawa, but looks after the Kings' D now, is leery of both players or management hasn't done a good enough job of filling out the bottom end of the blueline roster. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Oilers Notebook: Coach Kris Knoblauch coy on who's in net for Game 5, but they're riding Calvin Pickard
Article content So, the Edmonton Oiler net is Calvin Pickard's going forward now, right? Article content Article content Two straight wins after the Oilers fell behind 2-0 in Los Angeles, 38 stops in Game 4 in the goalie battle with Kings' Darcy Kuemper. Is it time to ride the Oilers backup until the series ends with Stu Skinner staying on the bench? Article content 'We'll evaluate it and make that decision tomorrow,' said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, as usual playing coy with his goalies while it's Kuemper, the Vezina trophy finalist, every game for the Kings, even if he's given up 11 of his 16 goals in the third periods of games when the Oilers are into rally-cap mode. Article content Article content Knoblauch could have said 'whaddya think, I'm an idiot? Of course we're sticking with the guy who's winning us games. I'm not stupid' but he wasn't that bold. Article content Article content Yet, Pickard's faced 69 shots in the last two games as the starter and has stopped the bleeding. He'll be starting Game 5 in Los Angeles. He got two starts in the second round against Vancouver last spring when Skinner faltered before regaining his footing and helping to get the Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but this would be a playoff first here — three-in-a-row for Pickard. The goaltending as a whole in this series is far from spectacular, but Skinner, Pickard and Kuemper aren't alone in that scenario. Connor Hellebuyck, a slam-dunk to win his third Vezina in Winnipeg, has an .817 save percentage in their tied series with St. Louis . In Vegas, Cup champion Adin Hill is .854 in his four games against Minnesota, Linus Ullmark is .848 in Ottawa in the match-up with Toronto. Article content Article content Pickard is .889 in the series (eight goals on 72 shots; he relieved Skinner in Game 2). Skinner is .810 (11 goals on 58 shots in his two starts in Los Angeles) and Kuemper is .881 (16 goals allowed on 134 shots in the four games). Article content Article content Pickard was beaten by Trevor Moore's quick shot (five-hole) from the slot after Phil Danault dug the puck out, Warren Foegele, in behind the Oilers defence, and Kevin Fiala scored on a breakaway in Game 4. Article content In a perfect world, Kings forward Quinton Byfield gets the puck out along the boards with 35 seconds left in the third period, and the Kings hold on to their 3-2 lead, and he flips the puck into the neutral zone to kill time or he bangs one off the boards rather than trying to make a play past Evan Bouchard. But, Oilers president of hockey ops Jeff Jackson's former agent/client is 22, the heat was turned up high, and Bouchard kept the puck in and shortly thereafter, it's tied.
