Canucks' Stecher honors late father after scoring winner in Game 1

Troy Stecher's game-winning blast in the third period of the Vancouver Canucks' series opener versus the St. Louis Blues carried significant weight for the defenseman.

The goal not only helped Vancouver take a 1-0 series lead over the defending Stanley Cup champions, but it was Stecher's first tally since his dad died at 65 this past Father's Day.

Stecher blasted a slap shot past Jordan Binnington five minutes into the third period and immediately pointed to the sky in celebration.

"It's been tough, obviously, at certain moments throughout this process, but I'm thankful to be surrounded by my teammates," Stecher said after the game, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

"Obviously, I had a couple seconds there to reflect on my dad and the biggest thing is everybody showed support on the bench instantly and kind of gave me a tap, and it just kind of motivated me to keep it going."

Stecher's teammates understood the importance of the moment.

"What Troy had to go through during the summer was just devasting, so I just wanted to go and hug him," said Canucks star Elias Pettersson.

Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller added insurance markers later in the third period to seal Vancouver's win.

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.