Nothing can slow down Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, not even a scary looking injury.
The star left Sunday’s 4-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning early in the first period after taking a high-stick to the face. Hughes was bleeding profusely, leaving a trail of red on the ice.
He walked straight down the tunnel to get cleaned up and when he returned later in the opening frame, after missing the entirety of the four-minute power play he drew, he was rocking a bubble to protect his face.
Quinn Hughes took a stick up high from Brandon Hagel and had to head off to the locker room 😬 pic.twitter.com/x2vik3rAk6
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 8, 2024
“Seems like Hughesy takes three or four of these every year,” said teammate Tyler Myers. “He came back out, did his thing, played great for us like he has been all year.”
Hughes’ new equipment didn’t seem to slow him down at all. He scored the first goal of the game with a nifty backhander on an incredible solo effort and finished tied for the team lead in shots.
“He’s been doing that for us all year, it was a big goal for us, hell of a goal,” said head coach Rick Tocchet after the game.
Bubble Quinn Hughes says hello! 👋
Catch the Canucks vs. Lightning on Sportsnet. pic.twitter.com/ZjbSZ0m33m
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 8, 2024
“I don’t know what he did but he obviously came out buzzing,” said Kiefer Sherwood about the sequence. “He’s a game-changer, it was a huge momentum [swing] for us.”
The goal was Hughes’ eighth of the season and his 33rd point. It was also the 50th goal of his career, moving him into 10th all-time in franchise history among defencemen.
“He’s so unpredictable, sometimes it’s hard for us to read off of it, obviously Vasilevskiy wasn’t ready for it,” continued Sherwood.
“I could probably take a note or two from how he’s able to generate chances.”
The 25-year-old defenceman has been incredible again this season after winning the Norris Trophy last year. He’s the heartbeat of this Canucks team and is pulling off amazing feats, like his return on Sunday, nearly every game.