Troy Stecher’s Secret Off-Ice Weapon? A Mountain of Lego Sets and a Bernese Mountain Dog
When the NHL schedule gets relentless - and for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s been exactly that - players have to find ways to decompress. With the Olympic break looming and a jam-packed run of games every other day until then, the Leafs are grinding through a stretch that demands physical stamina and mental clarity. And for defenseman Troy Stecher, that clarity comes from an unexpected place: Lego.
Yes, Lego - as in, the iconic Danish building blocks that have been fueling imaginations for generations. While some players turn to video games or music, Stecher’s off-day sanctuary is a table covered in thousands of tiny plastic bricks.
“I thought it was therapeutic,” Stecher said Wednesday morning, flashing a grin that made it clear this isn’t just a casual hobby. This is a full-blown passion.
The 31-year-old blueliner, claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers earlier this season, has amassed hundreds of Lego sets over the years. And we’re not talking about a few Star Wars X-Wings or a Harry Potter castle here and there. We’re talking about a Lego empire - spread out across three different homes.
“I have some in Edmonton that’s left at my rental house there. I have some in Scottsdale at my house there. And then I have some at my mom’s, so it’s all kind of spread out,” Stecher said.
It all started when he was a kid, and his parents - thankfully - never tossed out his sets. When he signed with Vancouver out of the University of North Dakota, he went back to his mom’s house, scooped up the collection, and brought it along.
The result? A Lego archive that would make a collector blush.
His most ambitious build to date? The Death Star - the 7,800-piece behemoth that’s a rite of passage for serious Lego fans. He’s also got a gunship, an AT-AT walker, and a long list of other Star Wars-themed builds, even though, as he admits, he’s not a huge Star Wars guy.
“I just enjoy building them,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll binge it and finish in one sitting of six hours.
And sometimes I’ll leave it on the kitchen table for two months. A lot of it depends on the hockey schedule.”
That schedule right now is no joke. Toronto is in the middle of a five-game homestand before heading out west to face the Kraken, Canucks, Flames, and Oilers.
And the grind doesn’t stop after the Olympic pause either. For Stecher and the Leafs, it’s full throttle.
That’s why having an outlet - something that lets you unplug from the game, even for a few hours - is so important. And while Lego is his go-to, Stecher’s also found other ways to stay grounded.
Back in Edmonton, he and his wife would cook together. And when he wasn’t building or cooking, he’d hop on Xbox - not to game, but to hang out virtually with friends from back home.
“I’m not like a video game guy, but I have an Xbox, and I would sign on and just literally put my mic on and talk to my buddies,” he said. “I wouldn’t play any game, but I’d be in their party chat. Talking about random stuff with your buddies from back home is always a good distraction.”
Now living in a hotel in Toronto, Stecher admits it’s been harder to keep up with his usual routines. The Lego sets didn’t make the trip, and his Xbox setup isn’t quite the same. But he’s got his wife and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Phoebe, with him - and that’s made the adjustment a little easier.
“It’s just been a little different this year,” Stecher said. “Thankful I have my wife and my dog here to distract me a little bit, but definitely side hobbies I’ve kind of put to the side just because I don’t have anything with me here right now.”
Still, even without the bricks and the headset, the mentality remains. Stecher has always found ways to strike a balance between the intensity of the NHL and the need for personal reset time.
It’s part of what’s made him such a steady presence on the Leafs’ blue line since arriving in November. In fact, he’s averaging the fourth-most minutes among Toronto defensemen and has chipped in 10 points through 30 games.
There’s a reason he’s earned that trust. His approach to the game - and to life outside it - is all about consistency, focus, and knowing when to step back.
Sometimes, that means building a Death Star. Sometimes, it just means talking nonsense with your friends on Xbox. Either way, Troy Stecher’s found a formula that works.
And in the middle of a season where every day feels like game day, that might be just as valuable as anything he brings to the ice.