Healthy men, healthy families: Kevin Bieksa and Troy Stecher stand up for mental health

VANCOUVER, BC – The grin that flashed across Troy Stecher’s face Tuesday afternoon in the hallway of Richmond’s Minoru Arena when Kevin Bieksa, a star of Stecher’s youth, pointed out that the Richmond defenceman is definitely an NHL veteran, was vibrant.

“It’s a bit of a responsibility for us older guys: I’m obviously retired, Troy’s a veteran — a veteran! — now in the NHL,” Bieksa began.

“Crazy,” Stecher interjected, his smile wide as can be. Stecher has played 494 games in the NHL. He’s 30. He’s definitely turning into a wise old hand.

Bieksa said their role is to show young players that they have a platform to promote positive change.

“We play hockey, we make a living out of it. We have a big fan base. We have a platform to do good things. So we all have our own charities that we support,” Bieksa said.