It was a bitter pill to swallow for Canucks fans when it became clear this off-season that Troy Stecher would not be returning for the 2020-21 season.
Stecher spent four seasons with the Canucks, but spent many more as a fan of the Canucks, as he grew up in Richmond. When he signed in Vancouver as a college free agent, he was fulfilling a lifelong dream not just of playing in the NHL, but suiting up for his hometown team and playing with players he idolized like Daniel and Henrik Sedin.
“They were great role models for a lot of people in this town, and I was one of them, and just feel really lucky that I had the chance to meet them and get to know them on a first-hand basis,” said Stecher last season before their jersey retirement ceremony.
With no qualifying offer from the Canucks, Stecher hit free agency and signed a two-deal with the Detroit Red Wings for $1.7 million per year. Now his on-ice effort and off-ice affability are winning new fans in the Motor City.
While the Red Wings are still in the valley of a rebuild, Stecher has been one of the team’s best players. Analytically, he’s having a stunning season defensively.
It’s the type of thing that might have Canucks fans making like Emma Stone and eating ice cream straight out of the carton while listening to Adele.
Perhaps it might help to hear from Stecher directly. Fortunately, thanks to the Church of Pettersson, you can.
Okay, maybe the Church of Pettersson requires a little bit of an explanation as well. The Church of Pettersson is a novelty Canucks fan account and fan organization that jokingly worships Elias Pettersson as an alien deity. The person behind it even dresses up like an alien pope, complete with green bodysuit, pope hat, and Canucks-coloured robes.
It’s a little bit odd and weird, but it’s also pretty fun. And the Alien Pope even got to meet his deity face-to-face, which is a rarity for most clergy this side of the pearly gates.
The Church of Pettersson commissioned a message from Stecher on Cameo, an online service that allows fans to hire celebrities to create personalized videos. After reading the requested message about “holy red lights” and saying “your Petey prayers” with an amused expression on his face, Stecher went off-script to send a message to all Canucks fans.
“Obviously, the season’s been a lot different for me,” said Stecher. “I’m adjusting to my new surroundings, a new organization, new teammates. I’m loving the experience so far — it’d be nice to get some more wins — but it doesn’t stop me from missing you guys and the support that you gave me through my first four years in Vancouver in the NHL. I really appreciate it.”
Stecher even took a moment to address the question of whether he feels any bitterness toward the Canucks for how his time with the team ended.
“People always ask me, are you upset or mad at the Canucks? And I’m not,” he said. “It’s a business, I understand it. And at the end of the day, a lot of those guys are still some of my really close friends, so I wish them nothing but the best. I want to see my friends and my family succeed in anything they do, so I’m cheering them on.”
I’m sure Stecher talking about how he wants his friends on the Canucks to succeed will stop the tears. That won’t get anyone choked up at all. I’m definitely not being sarcastic in this paragraph.
To top it off, Stecher said this particular Cameo would be free, as he was late getting it done with the team on the road and Stecher himself dealing with an injury. Perhaps that’s why Stecher has a perfect five star rating on Cameo.
If you don’t mind, I’ll just be over here opening up a new carton of ice cream and pressing play on Spotify.
