- Vincent Trocheck got a tribute and a standing ovation in his first game back at MSG
- Sean Durzi, part of the Rangers’ return for him, had his own welcome planned
- Read below and watch the video of the Rangers’ tribute to Trocheck
Madison Square Garden didn’t forget Vincent Trocheck.
The Rangers played a tribute video for their former center during the first TV timeout Sunday night, and the crowd gave him a long standing ovation as he waved from the Utah Mammoth bench. Sean Durzi welcomed him back a different way, flattening Trocheck with an open-ice hip check in the neutral zone about five minutes into the game.
Watch the Rangers’ tribute video:
It was Trocheck’s first game in New York since the Rangers traded him to Utah on July 1. Durzi was the centerpiece of that return, with prospect Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick also heading to the Rangers.
Durzi was asked after the game about facing the guy he was traded for.
“It was funny. I got a pretty good piece of him early on in the first and then I think he got a lick at me and he said ‘that’s just payback’, so it was funny out there,” Durzi said.
Here’s Durzi on facing Trocheck:
The scoreboard went Durzi’s way too. New York won 4-2 for its third win in four days. Durzi played 22:57, blocked three shots and finished plus-one. Trocheck was minus-three and didn’t register a point.
Gabe Perreault broke a 1-1 tie early in the third, J.T. Miller scored off his skates, and Eeli Tolvanen hit the empty net on a play started by Igor Shesterkin, who now has points in back-to-back starts. Utah took its first loss of the season.
Trocheck didn’t hang his head over the result.
“I loved our effort; execution just wasn’t there tonight,” he said. “But definitely can’t say anything about our effort and how we stood up for each other.”
The night started with a few reunions. Trocheck stopped for photos with young fans on his way into the building:
He also shared a moment with Will Cuylle, who lived with the Trocheck family during his rookie season.
Earlier in the week, Trocheck talked about what leaving New York felt like.
“It’s always tough whenever you’re in a place for a few years and you get used to the area,” Trocheck said. “You fall in love with a place, which we obviously did. It’s tough to move on but that is part of the business.”
Trocheck earned the ovation. He put up 253 points (89 goals, 164 assists) in 313 games as a Ranger and helped them reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2023-24. He had a career-best 77 points that season.
