Latest news with #Stecher
Vancouver Sun
6 days ago
- 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
6 days ago
- 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
6 days ago
- 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.
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher might draw short straw if Mattias Ekholm returns but that's fine with him
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. 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Oilers defenceman Stecher understands Scheifele's pain: ‘Still affects me day to day'
DALLAS – Edmonton Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher felt for bereaved Mark Scheifele when the Winnipeg Jets centre suited up for an NHL playoff game with the knowledge his father had just died. Stecher's father Peter died of diabetes complications at age 65 in 2020, shortly before the defenceman entered the NHL's summer playoff bubble with the Vancouver Canucks. Scheifele scored Winnipeg's lone goal in Saturday's Game 6 loss to the Dallas Stars — Edmonton's opponent in the Western Conference final — after learning his father, Brad, had just died at age 68. 'A lot of respect for him,' Stecher said Friday before Game 2 of the conference final. 'Just so much respect for him and the way he went out there. I know it's the playoffs, but there's so much more in life that I think is so important, and for him to get a goal, I'm sure was a huge honour for his dad. 'I'm sure in those 60 minutes he was pretty focused on the task at hand, but I'm sure leading up to the game time and when the buzzer went, his mind switched right back to his dad and his family. I can't imagine how difficult it was afterwards.' Peter Stecher died on June 21, 2020, on Father's Day. 'That was like the darkest moment of my life really,' Stecher said. 'For a lot of us, our dads were our first coach, our best friends and our biggest supporters. I know for a lot of guys in this room, your first call you make after a game is typically to your dad. 'It's not easy to talk about. It's something that still affects me on a day-to-day basis.' The Canucks were the last Canadian club eliminated from the COVID-19 playoff bubble in Edmonton in the second round. While Stecher found solace on the ice, there was a lot of time off of it to think and grieve. 'The place you wanted to be was always at the rink,' Stecher said. 'It's where you can kind of turn your mind off. 'It was nice being in the bubble with your teammates, but at the same time, there was so much free time. My mind wandered a lot. I wasn't in a really good mental health space during that time, but I found a way to just kind of go through your day and understand that every day is going to get better. 'The most important thing is just trying to make that individual parent proud with your actions.' Stecher organized a fundraising pro camp in the summer of 2023 in support of diabetes research. He teamed up with former Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieska to hold another in 2024 for the Canadian Men's Health Foundation. 'We'll definitely do some sort of camp this year to raise more money,' Stecher said. The 31-year-old from Richmond, B.C., was inserted into Edmonton's lineup during the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights for his playoff debut as an Oiler. An ankle injury and surgery kept him out of the 2024 post-season when Edmonton reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final before falling to the Florida Panthers. Stecher also sat out this year's first round with an undisclosed injury. 'Stecher has been very solid throughout the regular season,' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Friday. 'We had confidence that he would play some time during the playoffs, and he would be ready because he is very dependable and ready. 'He plays with urgency. He's one of the smaller guys out on the ice, but he makes up for it with his intensity and the way he checks. He is smaller, but he's not light because he does play physical and he knows how to check and doesn't get bounced off as easily as maybe some other guys. 'His intensity, assertiveness helps with our team.' — PERRY-BICHSEL: Oilers forward Corey Perry mocked Stars defenceman Lian Bichsel during a final-buzzer scrum after Game 1 when Perry covered his head with both arms to mimic a turtle. 'The incident, it was just a scrum,' Perry said. 'You play this game to win and sometimes you get pissed off and things happen.' The 40-year-old Perry, whose high-sticking penalty led to a third power-play goal for the Stars in a 6-3 win, is almost twice Bichsel's age at 21. The Swiss defenceman is a lot bigger, however, at six-foot-seven and 231 pounds. 'Just a scrum. Nothing too serious,' Bichsel said. 'It's playoff time, so everyone is trying to get a piece of each other.' — GREGORY HAT TRICK?: Jim Nill could be the first to win the NHL's award for general manager of the year three straight seasons after claiming the Jim Gregory Award in 2023 and 2024. The 67-year-old from Hanna, Alta., is a finalist for the award a record fifth time and is up against Winnipeg's Kevin Cheveldayoff and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers this year. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Nill's string of recognitions coincides with the Stars reaching the Western Conference final for a third straight year. 'I got here three years ago and every year we've been in a spot at the deadline where he's gone out and traded assets to give us a chance to win,' Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said Friday. 'I give him all the credit in the world for taking the swings he's taken over the last three years that I've been here.' Nill added centre Mikael Granlund, defenceman Cody Ceci and winger Mikko Rantanen at the March 7 trade deadline. Rantanen led playoff scorers with nine goals and 11 assists in 14 games heading into Friday's Game 2. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
