Vincent Trocheck counted off the dishes on his family's dinner table in Pittsburgh.
There was chicken parmesan, rigatoni and arancini. There were meatballs, plates of linguine with shrimp and scallops, and chicken schnitzel. There was braciola, a rolled meat roulade with tomato sauce.
The food wasn't just for his own family, but also for his hockey family. Trocheck has made it an annual tradition to invite New York Rangers teammates to an Italian feast during the season: a chance to “mangiare” (eat up), as the Italians say, and a chance to socialize.
“Treat yourself to a good home-cooked meal along the way,” he said. “I just think it’s good to have everyone together.”
Trocheck recently brought everyone together again, albeit in a corner of the rink at Madison Square Garden, where he exuberantly celebrated a goal.
After his double goal in overtime in Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Trocheck was surrounded by every Ranger on the ice and those who had slid off the bench. The goal horn sounded. The New York fans were euphoric. Trocheck grinned widely in a sea of blue, an instant classic photo that became fodder for Art But Make It Sports' social media feed:
Mme Kupka among the verticals, by František Kupka, 1910-11, 📸 by @themooneyshot https://t.co/9xjofXmK2P pic.twitter.com/l12vTqB3VA
— ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) May 8, 2024
“If they go to overtime or double overtime, anyone can win those games,” Trocheck said. “Everything can happen.”
What happened in Game 2 happened a lot this season: The Rangers scored on the power play. Just as they did to tie the game with a goal from Chris Kreider in the third period, Trocheck assisted.
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“I think we expect to score. We feel like as a unit the team depends on us to score on the power play,” Trocheck said of their power play, which reached a rate of 34.5%. “Special teams has been so big in the playoffs so far. You can rely on us a lot and the pressure is great. We have this confidence, this rhythm. We just want to keep doing the same thing, keep going.”
The Rangers won the game 4-3, in part because the Hurricanes lacked confidence on their own power play and went 0-5 in 6:53 with the man advantage. Trocheck was on the ice for 4:16 minutes in that shootout, more than any other New York forward.
If this Rangers season were a family dinner, Trocheck would be the one organizing the place settings, stirring the meatballs, refilling 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 was a guy you could count on in so many situations, on both sides of the puck.”
THIS REGULAR SEASON Trocheck averaged 21:27 of ice time per game, including 3:29 on the power play and 1:35 on the penalty kill. In seven playoff games, his average is 23:59, spending 4:19 on the power play and 3:36 on the kill.
With 77 points (25 goals, 52 assists) in 82 games, he was second on the Rangers in the regular season behind linemate Artemi Panarin. He is tied with Mika Zibanejad in seven playoff games and has 12 points in seven games (five goals, seven assists). This includes four even strength points, seven power play points and one shorthanded point.
While many thought the Rangers' balanced play would be a liability against the Hurricanes, Trocheck said it wasn't a cause for concern.
“I don’t think anyone thinks we need to score at 5-on-5. If we win 4-0 and there are two power play goals and two shorthanded goals, no one cares. We just have to score,” he said. “We just try to win games any way we can.”
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It's clear that Laviolette believes that one of the most efficient ways to win playoff games is with plenty of Vincent Trocheck. No Rangers skater has played in the first seven games.
“Now it’s the playoffs. There are games that go into multiple overtimes and yet his role doesn't change. He’s a part of every part of the game,” Laviolette said. “I double shift him just to get him back in the faceoff circle. Power play, penalty shootout, 5v5 game. He just keeps answering the bell. That stands out. He is committed. You can see that in his behavior and the way he plays the game.
This could be Trocheck's best season in the NHL. Part of that is thanks 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 team averaged 3.76 goals per 60 minutes while conceding 2.27 goals per 60 minutes. They had an expected goals rate of 54.9% at 5-on-5.
“It’s important that the chemistry between the guys is right,” said Trocheck. “This continuity is also important.”
In Game 3 against the Hurricanes on Thursday night, Panarin scored the winning goal in overtime on a deflected pass from Trocheck, who had received the puck from Lafrenière.
“It was a great game for all three. They managed to get the puck out of the corner,” Laviolette said. “Really nice game from Troch and a great finish from Artemi.”
1:28
The Rangers took a 3-0 lead on Artemi Panarin's OT winner
Artemi Panarin deflects the ball between his legs and scores the winning goal for the Rangers in extra time.
It was the second goal the line scored of the game, as Lafreniere scored his third playoff goal early in the third period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
THE DOMINANCE OF This line helped Panarin (49 goals, 120 points) and Lafreniere (28 goals, 57 points) set new career highs 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 brought his hockey-obsessed five-year-old son Leo with him to Toronto. “I was very happy that he experienced that,” Trocheck said.
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Trocheck's career began in Florida in 2013-14, but there has been talk of his second NHL destination 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 during the 2021-22 season and it doesn't surprise him that Trocheck has found another level with the Rangers.
“He just does so many things right,” Stepan said. “He's good at it [faceoff] Point. He can create space for his linemates offensively. He can score goals. Defensively, he is responsible in almost all situations. So he’s just a complete player and one of the guys you have to have on your team.”
There are over 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 seeing his former teammates in in a playoff series didn't touch him. It has no effect on him.
“It's a playoff series that we have to overcome 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 change from team to team. It’s just another series.”
Trocheck sees a lot of familiar faces on the Hurricanes' roster, as he played with Carolina before signing a free agent deal with the Rangers. Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images
Laviolette, who won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006, consulted Trocheck before the series for information about the Hurricanes. But Rod Brind'Amour, Trocheck's former coach, said he didn't map out any game plans for Trocheck despite knowing his tendencies from his Hurricanes days.
“He was a great player for us. We wanted to keep him. It wasn't an exchange or anything like that. It’s just a business,” Brind’Amour said. “Obviously he was a great player for them. That's not shocking. We knew that. They have a good player.”
A good game on and off the ice. Stepan wasn't surprised to hear how Trocheck connected with the Rangers behind the scenes, from the locker room to the dinner table in Pittsburgh. He knew this guy in Carolina. He knew what he could become in New York.
“He's a great guy. Likes to hang out, likes to have fun. He understands that the game cannot be taken too seriously,” said Stepan. “He can 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 rear end, but he's really all that. I'm really happy for him.”
