"We're witnessing greatness right in front of our eyes": Quinn Hughes' teammate, head coach make their thoughts extremely clear about Canucks D-man

By R. Nikhil Parshy

Modified Dec 22, 2024 14:37 GMT

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Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes led from the front in an all-round display despite his team's overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The Canucks went down 5-4 with Hughes earning three points — a goal and two assists — for his third multi-point game in the last six outings.

After the Canucks faced a 2-0 deficit early in the first period, Hughes rallied a comeback. He provided an assist to Brock Boeser to open the scoring before securing a goal in the last minute of the first. Hughes' second assist was to Jake DeBrusk as he converted a rebound in the third quarter.

When asked about his performance, Boeser said that the Canucks captain didn;t surprise him anymore and that the defenseman is reaching unprecedented levels.

"I don't know, doesn't surprise you anymore, right?" Boerse said after the game. "He is an amazing hockey player and we’re witnessing greatness from a defenceman right in front of our eyes. He is a special player. He demands the puck. He has such a high standard for himself. It just doesn't surprise me that he's out there dominating the game."

Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet also talked about Hughes' contributions from the blue line.

"He wants to drive play," Tocchet said. "He knows that he's the main driver back there. Every game, he gives everything he's got. I mean, he's been terrific for us."

Canucks captain calls team 'family' amid J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson feud rumors

Ahead of the game, Quinn Hughes addressed the rumors of a rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Speculations had been going around that the pair weren’t on the same page since last season. Hughes said that it was important for the team to be unified as it hopes to turn things around in the second half of the season.

“100% I believe it's workable,” Hughes said, via Sportsnet. “You saw it last year, very evident. I think that both of them are going through their own struggles this year. I believe in both of them. They're great players and great people. There are times where we all get into it but it is a family in here and we've just got to continue this year to push forward and play the way we want to play.”

His words were also echoed by Rick Tocchet who claimed that both Miller and Pettersson were mature enough to handle the situation. However, it was Pettersson who dismissed the talks of a rift with Miller in the postgame interview.

With the overtime loss against the Senators, the Canucks dropped to fourth in the Pacific division with 39 points.