Peter Stecher, the father of Vancouver Canucks defenceman Troy Stecher, has died.
In a statement, the Vancouver Canucks confirmed the news, extending their condolences to the Stecher family.
Peter Stecher was a passionate hockey fan and a driving force behind his son’s path through minor hockey.
You could hear the knot in Doug Low’s throat when he was asked to talk about Stecher on Monday.
Low’s son Brayden, who now plays professionally in the ECHL, and Troy Stecher were teammates for years, from their very first season of minor hockey at age five.
Low said Peter Stecher was “the centrepiece of their hockey world.”
He coached the boys in minor hockey and also put together travel teams to run in the spring and summer.
“He meant so much to our Richmond Minor Hockey Association. He was a very important figure in a lot of young people’s live. He was a coach. He taught the kids the basics of the game,” Low said.
“Troy was always a cut above, you could tell, but Pete had time for all the kids on the team. He was one of those parents who stepped up. He had a vision of where he wanted to take the team and give them a passion for the game,” he recalled.
“He always believed in Troy and where his abilities would take him. He was very proud of him in that way.”
The summer teams Peter Stecher assembled featured players from across the Lower Mainland.
“He would recruit all the best kids from the North Shore, Vancouver, Richmond. They’d compete all over, flying to Chicago, Boston. He always said ‘reach for the sky.’ He was always a believer in being the best you can be,” Low said.
Stecher is the third Canuck to lose a father this season, following Jacob Markstrom and Zack MacEwen.
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