Long before the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, before marriage and children and the push and pull of NHL life with the New York Rangers, Vincent and Hillary Trocheck were just two kids in a 10th-grade economics class at Heritage High School in Saginaw, Michigan.
“The second I met him, it was over for me,” Hillary told Forever Blueshirts with a laugh.
Even then, she recalled, there was something magnetic about him — a mix of confidence and curiosity that drew people in.
“He was always striving to be the best he could be,” she added. “And he made you want to be better too.”
That drive — the one that first caught her attention — became the thread that’s run through everything since: competition, family, and the way each approaches life itself.
Today, Vincent is an
alternate captain for the Rangers, forging a reputation as one of their most beloved and relentless players. Since
signing with New York as a free agent in July 2022, he’s delivered three consecutive 20-goal seasons and, a career-best 77 points in 2023–24.
That season, Trocheck helped the Rangers capture the Presidents’ Trophy and reach the Eastern Conference Final. The popular two-way center played in the NHL All-Star Game, won the
prestigious Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, and scored one of the most iconic goals in Madison Square Garden history, a double-overtime playoff winner against the Carolina Hurricanes.
If Vincent’s world runs on grit and determination, Hillary’s moves with grace and purpose. Both an accomplished equestrian and a self-made business owner, she’s found her balance in two worlds — one built on instinct, the other on imagination.
Hillary’s been riding horses since she was five — mostly Arabians, the kind that demand trust as much as skill — and the lessons from the arena still anchor her life. That bond between rider and horse, Hillary reflected, is unlike anything else.
“People don’t understand how deep a rider’s connection with a horse gets,” she explained. “It’s not just about you when you’re up there, you have to have confidence or they will feel it.”
Last October, she achieved what once felt impossible — her first U.S. National Championship in the Hunter Pleasure division, a dream she’d carried since childhood.
“When you put the work in, absorb every ounce of training, and execute it all — and win — it’s an incredible feeling,” she said. “And I love that my kids (Leo, 8 and Lennon, 6) get to watch me do it.”
Photo courtesy Hillary Trocheck
That same sense of purpose followed her into
Statement Threads, the custom apparel brand she launched from home. What began as playoff outfits for her kids evolved into a creative business recognized across professional sports — from bespoke designs for players’ families to jackets for Team USA’s Four Nations Face-Off.
“I never thought of myself as artsy,” she admitted, “but I love creating. It’s something that’s mine.”
Together, the Trochecks represent a modern kind of power couple — one defined not just by celebrity, but by substance. They’ve built a life grounded in parallel ambition: his measured in faceoffs and goals, hers in stitches and strides. Two worlds, one shared heartbeat.
Love and Legacy
Photo courtesy Hillary Trocheck
Even in the glare of the NHL spotlight, the Trochecks built a life that feels beautifully ordinary.
“The kids are in school all day,” Hillary explained. “We wake up, make breakfast, pack lunches, and start the day like everyone else. Once they’re dropped off, I usually work out and then get right into my office. I try to get as much done as I can before pick-up, and most afternoons I’m taking Leo to hockey. He’s on the ice about five times a week right now, so we’re fully hockey busy.”
If there’s a Rangers home game that night, she often brings the kids along — Leo watching every shift, Lennon dancing in her seat with a box of candy.
“They’re only small once,” Hillary said with a smile. “I love them to be at the games with me.”
Photo courtesy Hillary Trocheck
She hopes these moments show her children what’s possible when passion meets purpose.
“I hope they know they can do it all,” she said. “They can do the things that make them happy and find joy in trying new things.”
Much of that belief comes from what she and Vincent model every day.
“If I didn’t have Vince, who’s been so supportive since I started working, I wouldn’t be able to do it,” she said. “We rely on our family and each other. We build each other up.”
That foundation has been steady since their early years in the League with the Florida Panthers, when veteran families welcomed them in and showed that the game’s real strength isn’t competition, but connection.
“It made us understand early that hockey is family,” Hillary recalled. “We try to bring people together as much as we can. We want everyone to feel comfortable.”
Now their home is that place — teammates and friends drifting in for dinner, kids running through the kitchen, laughter spilling from every room.
“People are from all over the world,” she added. “It’s nice to provide a sense of home whenever we can.”
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
That same spirit carried into the 2023–24 season, when rookie forward Will Cuylle, then 21, lived with the Trocheck family.
“He stayed for the whole season,” she recalled with a laugh. “The kids loved it — a lot of family dinners. He even took us out to eat and cooked a couple of times! We liked having him around.”
Within the Rangers organization, the Trochecks earned genuine reverence — not only for Vincent’s leadership, but for the warmth and generosity they share as a couple. They’re the kind of people who make a city feel smaller and a team feel like home — gracious and grounded in all the ways that matter.
Statement Threads and Identity
Photo courtesy Hillary Trocheck
For Hillary, creativity didn’t arrive all at once — it unfolded quietly, born from curiosity and playoff adrenaline. During the 2023 postseason, she began making pieces for her kids to wear to Rangers games.
“Then some of the girls started to ask me to make things, and I thought, why not?” she recalled. “It just kind of took off from there.”
What started as a small project at her kitchen table soon grew into Statement Threads, a company shaped through long nights, trial and error, and the simple joy of bringing ideas to life. What began as embroidery for her own family evolved into a way to connect — with teammates’ wives, fans, and entire communities around the League.
“I was first really surprised people even liked my ideas,” she said. “Then I just ran with it. It’s become something I’m so proud of, and something I never thought it would be.”
Her custom designs — bold, personal, and playfully fearless — reflect the same confidence she found in the show ring. The brand’s signature Bear design, one of her earliest creations, has since taken on a life of its own, morphing into new animals and meanings, including a lion motif she made for the wives and girlfriends of the Detroit Lions.
“That one was special,” she said softly. “My grandpa was a huge Lions fan — he would have loved it.”
When Vincent played for Team USA at the Four Nations Face-Off this past February, Statement Threads joined him on that stage. Hillary designed jackets for the players’ wives and girlfriends — her creativity woven into a moment that meant the world to their family.
“It was the coolest thing ever seeing him wear the USA jersey,” she remembered. “I know how much that meant to him. And getting to contribute in my own way made it even more special. Our kids were there watching, and I know it’s something they’ll never forget.”
For Hillary, Statement Threads isn’t just a business — it’s an extension of everything she values: family, imagination, and the courage to try.
“I started by making things for the people I love,” she reflected. “And that’s still why I do it.”
Beyond the Spotlight
Photo courtesy Hillary Trocheck
From the outside, life in the NHL can look like a highlight reel — private flights, luxury hotels, flashing lights. But Hillary Trocheck knows the truth is far simpler — and far more grounded.
“It’s not all this lavish lifestyle where we brunch, shop, and party all the time,” she said, laughing. “Maybe before kids it’s a little different, but when you have kids, it’s all about finding a sense of normal for them in a world that’s really not that normal.”
Normal, for the Trochecks, means missed birthdays and long road trips, holidays spent in hotel rooms, and a steady current of change — trades, new teammates, and miles between family moments.
In a world that celebrates goals and headlines, Hillary sees the personal side — the one that unfolds between games, beyond the roar of the crowd. She has seen how demanding the game can be — not just for players, but for the families who live it alongside them. Most fans, she recounts, are deeply supportive, though the scrutiny can sometimes be intense.
“People don’t realize they’re human too,” she said. “Fathers, friends, sons. They see the game, but not everything that goes into it.”
She’s watched players carry both triumphs and challenges with steady resilience — the parts of the job few ever see.
“If they’re smart and strong, they can block a lot of the hate,” she added, “but somehow, they still end up seeing some of it.”
It’s a perspective shaped by years of watching the game up close — through victories and setbacks, and everything in between. Hillary witnessed it all: the pressure, the high points, the exhaustion. What stands out most isn’t the attention, but the effort.
“Vincent’s the hardest-working person I know,” she said. “His mental toughness is beyond what I can comprehend.”
When Vincent scored that double-overtime winner for the Rangers in Game 2 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Second Round against the Hurricanes — his former team — Hillary didn’t mince words.
“Holy shit!!! It was one of those moments where everything he’s worked for showed up all at once. We’re just lucky to be along for the ride.”
That mix of awe and gratitude defines the way they move through life. If Hillary could pass one of Vincent’s qualities on to their children, it would be his determination.
“He doesn’t take no for an answer,” she said. “If he wants something, he gets it. He’s so intelligent, too. He’s the best.”
Nearly two decades after that high-school economics class, their story has come full circle — built on comebacks, trust, and an unshakable belief in one another. Through every season, every challenge, and every dream realized, Vincent and Hillary Trocheck created more than a life; they’ve built a legacy. Theirs is a love that endures, a partnership defined by resilience and heart, proof that some stories only grow stronger with time.
And for the Trochecks, the best is yet to come.
