Canucks fan council speaks on Quinn Hughes return

Article content

With Quinn Hughes making his return to Vancouver on Sunday, we asked our fan council for their thoughts on Hughes, the return the Canucks got, and his legacy with the franchise. Here’s what Jimmy Ghuman, Samantha Chang, Haleigh Callison, Chris Conte and Ben Ludwig, all lifelong Canucks fans, had to say.

Article content

If you are going on Sunday, or if you were going, would you boo?

Article content

Article content

Jimmy Ghuman: Yes, 100 per cent I would boo. He turned his back on us and didn’t want to be here. He never lived up to the expectations we have of a captain in this community. Our captain standards are lots of community outreach (he did do this, but only when it was team mandated) and unannounced/unpublicized visits to Children’s Hospital and Canucks Place. We never saw that from Hughes.

Haleigh Callison: I wouldn’t boo him. I hate that stuff. But I also don’t feel obligated to cheer. Quinn was my favourite player to watch, however I lost a lot of respect for him after the Team USA post-game situation and how he handled the aftermath. That did not sit well with me.

Ben Ludwig: I sold my tickets, but I hate when people boo. You can’t blame him for wanting out, it was a dumpster fire.

Samantha Chang: 100 per cent I would boo. I would throw my Hughes jersey on the ice. I hope the fans going to the game boo. I hope they come up with chants as creative as what Sens fans directed at Brady Tkachuk.

Article content

Chris Conte: Would I boo Hughes? Absolutely. If I were going to the game, I’d be contributing.

How do you see Hughes in Canuck history?

Samantha: As a villain, neck-and-neck with Mark Messier. It doesn’t even really have to do with the lack of success — I feel like Canucks fans have a high level of tolerance for that. It’s that he failed to lead them to success, oversaw the complete fracturing of the dressing room, and didn’t bother showing up in the community.

Jimmy: I see him as a footnote and a trivia answer to his Norris Trophy wins. The lack of team success, loyalty and longevity means no jersey retirement and no Ring of Honour.

Haleigh: Character is everything for me. No matter how unreal a player is on the ice — how they show up as a human outweighs that above anything. So Ring of “Honour,” that’s a tough one. The word just doesn’t seem to fit.

As a player, I think he’s the best defenceman the Canucks have ever had. (Please don’t let my fellow Smithers resident, Dan Hamhuis know I said that.)

Article content

Article content

Jersey retirement is a no for me. His time here and the overall legacy don’t meet that bar in my eyes.

Ben: Best defenceman ever to don a Canucks jersey. We are a long way from the conversation of how to honour him. Not sure at this point I would put him in the Ring. There was a lack of playoff success, the manner in which he left, still a little sour with the way he left.

Samantha: Every day I think about setting my Quinn Hughes Michigan jersey on fire. I was a staunch defender of Quinn Hughes, even after he first left when people started calling him Quit Hughes. I said he was a good captain and he was entitled to leave, and I WAS SO WRONG. Every time he opened his mouth, it became apparent just how bad of a captain and team player he actually was. For me, the absolute disrespect he showed his past teammates, some of whom were supposedly his friends, and this fan base and this city … it’s obviously difficult (if not impossible) to replace a player of his calibre, but I’m glad he’s gone.

Article content

Chris: Was he an incredible player? Of course. One of the best defencemen to ever wear a Canucks jersey. Nobody is arguing otherwise. But being a great hockey player and being a Canucks legend are two very different things, and I think we’ve become far too quick to confuse the two.

I don’t think he belongs in the Ring of Honour, and I don’t think his number should ever be retired. The guy put himself first, and that’s his right. But let’s not pretend that making a decision in your own best interest automatically earns you eternal recognition from the organization you chose to leave behind.

The Ring of Honour isn’t a frequent-flyer program. You don’t get lifetime membership just because you spent a few years here and collected some hardware. Jersey retirement should mean something. It should represent a legacy, a connection to the city and a contribution to the franchise that goes beyond individual statistics. Winning a Norris is an incredible achievement, but it doesn’t automatically make you Trevor Linden or Stan Smyl in the eyes of this franchise.

Article content

The Canucks have retired enough numbers. Maybe try retiring some bad decisions instead.

And spare me the argument that he was entitled to leave. Of course he was. Nobody is suggesting he should have been forced to stay. But being entitled to make a decision doesn’t mean you’re entitled to a standing ovation, a Ring of Honour induction and a banner hanging from the rafters for eternity. Actions have consequences, even in hockey.

Article content

Give a grade and some thoughts on the players the Canucks got in return: Liam Ohgren, Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Adam Novotny? Did the Canucks get enough? Do you see any/all being significant pieces in a future Canucks contender?

Samantha: I think the team is playing so poorly, it’s hard it say.

Jimmy: The trade at best right now gets a C grade. Too early to judge Novotny, but the rest will all have a role. But they won’t be our top players that we build the team around. I do see them eventually being solid defensive players to set up top lines. The return has been underwhelming. The prospects we got so far are not showing any signs of being more than solid depth players. Would love to see at least one of them turn into a top player, but at this point it doesn’t seem possible. For me, they look like the type of players that will be solid in the lineup when the rebuild is over, à la Jannik Hansen or Manny Malhotra circa 2011.

Article content

Haleigh: On the trade, I’d give it a B+. I think we did well under the circumstances. Could we have done better? Possibly, and I certainly would have liked more for a player of his talent. But he wasn’t staying, so waiting could also have left us with a heck of a lot less. We got several young pieces who can grow with a rebuilding team, rather than trying to patch things up with veterans. I like what I’ve seen so far, even though that doesn’t make this a finished success.

Buium is the biggest piece for me. I see the potential for a top-pair defenceman who can drive offence and lead the power play. Defensively, he’ll develop, and that will come with time. I see him as a part of our long-term future as the team builds.

Rossi gives us a credible young top-six centre. Strong second-line centre, doesn’t need to be a superstar, just be consistent. That alone will be a huge impact for the team.

With Ohgren, I like his skating, his drive and forechecking. Feel like he will be a versatile energy player for us.

Article content

We didn’t replace Hughes with another Hughes, but we did give the rebuild something substantial to work with. The eventual grade will depend on what these players become, not just how the package looks today.

Also, Hughes is going to end up with his brothers in New Jersey, so all-in-all, pretty happy with what we got.

Ben: I think it’s still early to say about the return, but so far I like the direction the players we got are going in.

Ohgren, that’s my type of player. I really hope he continues to develop, and starts to add a little more offensive output. Rossi, not a huge fan, but a good placeholder until some prospects join the team. Buium has been tossed into the deep-end, and I hope continues to develop. I see a lot of potential and hope he grows into a first-pair defenceman. I feel people are hoping he turns into Quinn, but Hughes was a unicorn, so the let’s lower the bar and let the kid cook.

With Novotny, I love what we are seeing in junior right now, but a lot of players have success at that level and it never turns out to anything in The Show. I will continue to watch, but as far as his development is going, it really looks like we have a stud coming soon.

Article content

Did the Canucks get enough in return for Hughes? I don’t think you ever do when you trade one for four, but the situation called for a trade and the Canucks did the best they could. Lets hope all the players continue to grow. Let’s wait and see if Novotny becomes the player he could be.

I see most of them being a part of the future, with one being moved at some point. I don’t see Rossi being a guy that the Canucks love for a long period of time.

Chris: As for the return, I’d give it a B+ for now. Minnesota got the best player, but I actually think Novotny might end up being the best player Vancouver got back. Obviously, that’s a projection, but I like the upside. Buium could become a legitimate top-pairing defenceman, Rossi could develop into a very good top-six centre, and Öhgren has a chance to become a valuable middle-six winger.

I think Vancouver got enough to justify the trade, but that doesn’t mean they won it. If Buium becomes a stud, Rossi establishes himself as a top-six centre, and one of the other two develops into a significant contributor, this could be a very good return. All four could play meaningful roles on a future contender, but none of that is guaranteed. That’s the gamble.

Article content