No matter the circumstances, your first NHL is a moment never to be forgotten.
Add in all the positive elements surrounding Troy Stecher’s first NHL tally Sunday for the Vancouver Canucks, helping them to a 5-4 overtime win at home, and you can be sure more than just his friends and family will be recalling this one for years to come.
Stecher cued the highlight reels as he notched the tying goal in the waning moments of regulation against the Dallas Stars. Vancouver had just pulled goalie Ryan Miller for the extra attacker and Stecher’s poise and creativity led to his scoring chance which he buried.
As time ticked down to 1:40 left and Miller had just skated to the bench, Alex Burrows, who had the would-be tying goal waved off moments earlier, played the puck back to the point where Stecher settled it with his glove, feinted left to evade Stars captain Jamie Benn – another BCHL alum – and backhanded the puck off the wall to himself, skated down a seam and fired a slap shot through Kari Lehtonen making the score 4-4.
He was on the ice in overtime as well when Markus Granlund fired home the game-winner to give the Canucks the victory.
“Obviously it’s a good feeling, but getting that win on home ice is a lot better feeling,” Stecher told reporters after the game. “I just kind of put a shot there through a screen and when you put pucks on net, good things happen; it finally went in.” (FULL INTERVIEW HERE)
The goal was named the ‘Move of the Game’ on the Canucks website, Canucks.com (VIDEO HERE)
Stecher, a Richmond, B.C. native who grew up a Canucks fan, played three BCHL seasons with the Penticton Vees. In 159 career games, he registered 18 goals and 91 assists for 109 points. He was named a BCHL First Team all-star in 2013 as well as the Interior Conference Top Defenceman. He was also part of the 2012 Vees team that won a Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) record 42-straight games and also wound up with the RBC Cup national title.
