Rangers' Vincent Trocheck on All-Star nod: 'Huge honor, looking forward to sharing it with my family'
Vincent Trocheck of the Rangers skates against the Kraken during the third period at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 16. Credit: Jim McIsaac
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Getting picked to go to the NHL’s All-Star Weekend didn’t mess up Vincent Trocheck’s plans for the week too much, the Rangers center said Tuesday. He didn’t have to cancel any vacation plans.
“Yeah, well not fully cancel, but we had to modify a few,’’ Trocheck said after Tuesday’s morning skate at SAP Center before the Rangers closed out their four-game West Coast trip with a game against the Sharks.
Trocheck was named Monday as one of two injury replacements for the game. He and Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor will replace Connor Bedard of Chicago and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights for the All-Star festivities Feb. 1-3 in Toronto. Trocheck will join goaltender Igor Shesterkin as the Rangers’ representatives, along with coach Peter Laviolette, who will coach the Metropolitan Division team.
“I’m excited, obviously,’’ Trocheck said. “It’s a huge honor and something that I’m looking forward to sharing with my family.
“You obviously want to soak it all in.’’
Laviolette said as coach of the Metro squad he did not have a say as to what player should be chosen to replace Bedard, the 18-year-old who was last summer’s No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft. He is out with a broken jaw.
“No . . . But they got the right guy,’’ he said.
“That’s a really well deserved nod, an honor for him,’’ Laviolette said. “He’s been so good for our team with all aspects of his game — leadership, faceoffs, defensive play, offensive play. His line is, I think as far as . . . generating offense, one of the top ones in the league. So, it’s just a really good thing for him.”
Trocheck, whose 62% win rate on faceoffs was the third-best in the league entering Tuesday’s games, was also tied with Mika Zibanejad for second on the Rangers’ list of scoring leaders with 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) through 46 games. Aside from his linemate, Artemi Panarin, who leads the team with 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) and passed on going to the All-Star Weekend because his wife is late in her pregnancy, Trocheck has probably been the Rangers’ most valuable player.
But, he said, he’s not satisfied with what he’s done so far.
“Me, ‘Bread’ [Panarin], ‘Laf’ Alexis Lafreniere], we’re always looking at games and watching the film and seeing what we can do better,’’ he said. “But obviously, I think we like the way we’re playing right now, yeah. But there’s always room for improvement.’’
Trocheck credited playing consistently on a line with Panarin and Lafreniere as part of the reason he’s had such a strong season.
“Having chemistry with guys is important,’’ he said. “And then having that continuity game in and game out with the guys that you have chemistry with. It goes a long way, just in knowing what to expect each game.’’
This will be Trocheck’s second All-Star Game. He went in 2017 in Los Angeles while a member of the Florida Panthers.
“Snoop Dogg performed on the ice,’’ he recalled. “That was probably my highlight.’’
This time Trocheck will be bringing not only his wife and children, but his parents and his wife’s parents to the game. Having his son there for the experience will be the best thing, he said.
“I think that’s number one for me,’’ he said. “My son [Leo], 5 years old, he’s a huge hockey fan. He talks about playing as the All-Stars on his video games and stuff like that all the time. I was most excited for him to be able to kind of witness that and see me in an All-Star Game. That’s the coolest thing for me.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
