Vincent Trocheck counted the dishes at his family's dinner table in Pittsburgh.
There was chicken parmigiana, rigatoni and arancini. There were meatballs, linguine dishes with shrimp and scallops, and chicken cutlets. There was braciola, a rolled meat roll topped with tomato sauce.
The food was not only for his own family, but also for his hockey family. Trocheck has made it an annual tradition to host New York Rangers teammates for an Italian feast during the season: a chance to mangiare (eat), as the Italians say, and a chance to bond.
“Enjoy a good home-cooked meal on the go,” he said. “I think it's good to have everyone together.”
Trocheck brought everyone together again recently, but in a corner of the Madison Square Garden court, deliriously celebrating a goal.
After his double overtime goal in Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Trocheck was surrounded by all the Rangers on the ice and those who had skated off the bench. The goal horn sounded at full volume. The New York fans were elated. Trocheck smiled widely in a sea of blue, an instant classic photo that became fodder for the Art But Make It Sports social media account:
Mme Kupka between verticals, by František Kupka, 1910-11, 📸 @themooneyshot pic.twitter.com/l12vTqB3VA
-ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) May 8, 2024
“When they go to overtime or double overtime, anyone can win those games,” Trocheck said. “Anything can happen.”
What happened in Game 2 has happened often this season: the Rangers score on the power play. Just as they did to tie the game on a goal by Chris Kreider in the third period: Trocheck assisted on that goal.
“I think we expect to score. We feel like, as a unit, the team trusts us to score on the power play,” Trocheck said of his 34.5% power play. “Special teams have been very important so far in the playoffs. There's a lot of trust in us and there's a lot of pressure on that. We have this confidence, this rhythm. We just want to keep doing the same things, keep this up.” going.”
The Rangers won the game 4-3 in part because the Hurricanes lacked confidence on their own power play, going 0 for 5 at 6:53 with the man advantage. Trocheck was on the ice for 4:16 of that penalty, longer than any other New York forward.
If this Rangers season were a family meal, Trocheck would be the one organizing the silverware, stirring the meatballs, filling everyone's drinks and parking the cars.
In a season where the Rangers are closing in on their first Stanley Cup championship in 30 years, Vincent Trocheck is doing it all.
“He touches every part of the game,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “All year long, he's a guy that he's counted on in a lot of situations, on both sides of the puck.”
THIS REGULAR SEASON Trocheck averaged 21:27 of ice time per game, with 3:29 on the power play and 1:35 on the penalty kill. In seven playoff games, he is averaging 23:59, with 4:19 dedicated to the power play and 3:36 to the offense.
He ranked second on the Rangers behind teammate Artemi Panarin in the regular season with 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in 82 games. In seven playoff games, he is tied with Mika Zibanejad with 12 points in seven games (five goals, seven assists). That includes four even-strength points, seven power-play points and one shorthanded point.
While many thought the Rangers' consistent play would be an issue against the Hurricanes, Trocheck said that wasn't a concern.
“I don't think anyone is thinking we have to score 5-on-5. If we win 4-0 and it's two power play goals and two shorthanded goals, no one cares. We just have to score.” he said. “We're just trying to win games no matter how we can.”
It's clear that Laviolette believes that one of the most efficient ways to win playoff games is with large amounts of Vincent Trocheck. No Rangers skater has played more in his first seven games.
“Now it's the playoffs. There are games that go to multiple overtimes and yet his role doesn't change. He's a part of every part of the game,” Laviolette said. “I'm changing him twice just to get him back in the faceoff circle. Power play, penalty play, 5-on-5 play. He keeps responding to the bell. You can tell. He's committed. You can see it in his demeanor and the way he plays the game. game”.
This could be Trocheck's best season in the NHL. Part of that is due to his incredible line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. No trio in the league played more together than them (864 minutes). According to Evolving Hockey, Trocheck's line averaged 3.76 goals per 60 minutes and conceded 2.27 goals per 60. They had an expected goals percentage of 54.9% at 5-on-5.
“Having chemistry with the guys is important,” Trocheck said. “Having that continuity is also important.”
In Game 3 against the Hurricanes on Thursday night, Panarin scored the game-winning goal in overtime on a deflected pass from Trocheck, who had received the puck from Lafrenière.
“It was a great play for all three of them. They were able to get it in there and get a puck out of the corner,” Laviolette said. “A really nice play by Troch and a great shot by Artemi.”
1:28
Rangers lead 3-0 on Artemi Panarin's overtime winner
Artemi Panarin deflects it between his legs to score the winning goal for the Rangers in overtime.
It was the second goal generated in the game by the line, as Lafreniere scored his third of the playoffs early in the third period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
THE DOMAIN OF that line helped Panarin (49 goals, 120 points) and Lafreniere (28 goals, 57 points) reach new personal bests in the regular season. Trocheck had his second-best scoring season and set a new career high with 77 points, the highest-scoring season of his 11-year career.
He attended the NHL All-Star Game for the second time and took his hockey-obsessed 5-year-old son Leo to Toronto. “I was very excited for him to experience that,” Trocheck said.
Trocheck's career began in Florida in 2013-14, but it's his second NHL destination that's been in the conversation lately. He played three seasons with the Hurricanes before signing a seven-year, $39.375 million free agent contract with the Rangers in 2022.
Former Hurricanes center Derek Stepan played with Trocheck in the 2021-22 season, and he's not surprised Trocheck found another level with the Rangers.
“He just does a lot of things well,” Stepan said. “He is good at [faceoff] spot. He can create space for his linemates offensively. He can score goals. Defensively, he is responsible in almost all situations. So he's a complete player and he's one of those guys you need to have on your team.”
There are more than a dozen players on the current Hurricanes team who played with Trocheck, including in an intense seven-game second-round loss to the Rangers in 2022. But Trocheck said the emotions of facing his former teammates in a playoff series they didn't. He doesn't shock him.
“It's a playoff series that we have to get through to achieve our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,” Trocheck said. “I mean, I've played against these guys a lot. Playing against former teammates is nothing new. In this league, you move from team to team. It's just another series.”
Laviolette, who won a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006, consulted Trocheck before the series to get information about the Hurricanes. But Rod Brind'Amour, Trocheck's former coach, said he didn't devise any game plan to handle Trocheck despite knowing his tendencies from his Hurricanes days.
“He was a great player for us. We wanted to keep him. This wasn't a trade or anything like that. It's just business,” Brind'Amour said. “He's clearly been a great player for them. It's not surprising. We knew that. They have a good one.”
A good one on and off the ice. Stepan wasn't surprised to hear how Trocheck had bonded with the Rangers behind the scenes, from the locker room to the table in Pittsburgh. He knew that guy in Carolina. He knew what it could be like in New York.
“He's an awesome guy. He likes to hang out, he likes to have fun. He understands that the game can't be taken too seriously,” Stepan said. “He's able to joke with anyone and everyone. He works hard to be a good teammate with all of his guys.”
Stepan paused for a moment. “I know I'm blowing a lot of smoke up his ass, but he really is all those things. I'm really happy for him.”
