Vancouver radio host Don Taylor questioned the decision of some Canucks fans who stood and cheered during a tribute video for Quinn Hughes on his return to Rogers Arena on Sunday.
Hughes, now with the Minnesota Wild, faced heavy boos throughout the night after being traded away last season. However, during a first-period video tribute recognizing his time with the Canucks, a portion of the crowd mixed in cheers, and some fans rose for a standing ovation.
Speaking on the Donnie & Dhali show, Taylor expressed puzzlement at those reactions:
“I got to ask this question: Who are these people who stood up and cheered during his tribute video? Like I mean, the guy was in terms of being a captain and a leader, arguably the worst in Canucks history. As a player, arguably the best. He clearly didn’t have any time for the organization in the city,” said Taylor.
He added:
“And we have the video here. This is the video tribute, and there’s people standing up. I understand that, but like he just said goodbye in such a disappointing way.”
Hughes, who spent six-and-a-half seasons in Vancouver and served as captain, later said he appreciated the mixed response and felt proud of the cheers he received.
Quinn Hughes becomes the seventh-fastest defenseman in NHL history to record 500 points
In the Wild’s 4-2 win over the Canucks, Quinn Hughes scored a power-play goal that marked his 500th career NHL point.
He reached the milestone in his 520th game, making him the seventh-fastest defenseman in league history to hit 500 points and the second-fastest American blueliner behind only Brian Leetch, who did it in 496 games.
“The passion with the fanbase is what makes it special to play here,” said Hughes via NHL.com. “So for me, it was cool to be back here, and exciting. And I’m glad we got the win. It’s obviously hard on a back to back, and they pushed hard in the first. I thought they were better than us in the first. And then I thought that we pushed in the second and third.”
With the win, the Minnesota Wild improved their record to 8-3-2 and moved into first place in the Central Division.
Edited by Abhishek Dilta
