41. Don’t want to make it awkward for him. If he were to be traded, Stecher would obviously still come back to Vancouver during his offseasons. It is his home after all; but how awkward would it be bumping into Canucks fans who are constantly saying things like, “hey Troy, big fan, we never should have traded you!” That would get more tiring than reading this article in its entirety!
42. He was a supporter of Nick’s Spaghetti House. It’s a shame that Nick’s Spaghetti House on Commerical Drive in East Vancouver had to close down a couple of years ago. What we do know is that Stecher did his part in keeping the business alive and well.
43. He had season tickets to the Canucks. Well, his Father had them, and it was through his work, which likely means Stecher didn’t get to go to every Canucks game, but before every game, the Stechers would stop by Nick’s Spaghetti House. Would the Canucks really trade a former season-ticket supporter and a guy who knows good Italian food?
44. He knows Uber is underrated. The only way this would make the Canucks even less likely to trade him is if he plugged Lyft, but the point remains the same, Stecher knows ridesharing is underrated, and that scores huge brownie points with the owner of the Canucks.
45. His reaction to Todd Bertuzzi walking into the Canucks’ locker room. Stecher grew up in the era of the West Coast Express, and you can tell he’s heard the name Todd Bertuzzi before when the Canucks’ great walked into the dressing room ahead of the home opener:
My favourite part about this entire video is seeing the big smiles on the faces of BC boys Jordie Benn and Troy Stecher, who obviously watched some of the WCE’s best moments growing up. pic.twitter.com/M2p6eiJYaq
— David Quadrelli (@QuadrelliD) October 12, 2019
46. His hat game. You may have noticed Stecher wearing a backwards hat in that video. Stecher is well known by his teammates for always having a hat on, and more often than not, it’s a Canucks hat. You’re really going to trade a guy who reps your merch? I think not.
47. He was totally fine playing wing alongside the Sedins. When he was a rookie, the Canucks pulled off a hilarious April Fools joke on Stecher. They told him he was needed on the first line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, so for a whole practice, Stecher skated on that line, without questioning the decision. Rightfully so, Stecher was confused, and his reaction to finding out it was all a joke is just priceless. The Canucks need versatile players like Stecher who can slide up to the first line wing position when needed.
48. He’s mastered Chris Tanev’s art of blocking shots with his face. I could only find one instance of it actually, but Stecher blocked a shot with his face that went underneath his visor in March of last season — and he still made his scheduled appearance on After Hours that night. If that’s not toughness, I don’t know what is. Chris Tanev approves.
49. If you trade him, you’re trading his dog, too. Stecher’s dog Phoebe is reportedly dating Brock Boeser’s dog. Phoebe is also good friends with Bo Horvat’s French Bulldog Gus. To abruptly end these relationships between the canines is especially cruel, and I fear that PETA could be all over the Canucks’ front office if a trade is made.
50. He stares down opponents pregame. Although he admits he’s not that intimidating, Stecher stares down his opponents during the pregame warmups as part of his gameday routine. Even if it doesn’t intimidate them, it surely makes opponents do a double-take.
51. The Canucks like having him on their team. If you’re reading this, props to you. I just checked my word count and this thing is near 3,000 words and I’ve put roughly seven hours into this article. Was it worth it? 100%. Finally, the Canucks won’t trade Stecher because they like having him on their team.
In all seriousness, Stecher has been here for the brunt of the Canucks’ dark days and he’s a player who the Canucks have always had as a part of their long-term plans. I’m not convinced that those plans have changed, and if the Canucks need any more reasons not to trade Stecher, then they’re more than welcome to read whatever it is I just wrote.