WATCH: Quinn Hughes pelts Patrick Kane with tennis ball at on-ice Bauer Hockey event

In an act of catharsis for many long-time Vancouver Canucks fans, Quinn Hughes smacked Patrick Kane with a tennis ball during a strange hockey version of the classic “Spin the Bottle” game at an event for Bauer.

B/R Open Ice shared the video of the exchange on Twitter (it was originally posted by Bauer on their own social media channels). A group of Bauer-affiliated players stood in a circle while they spun a bottle in the centre; the chosen player would then try to shoot a tennis ball at one of the others.

Hughes was the first player to have the bottle land on his spot, and, in an act that would make many Canucks fans proud, he immediately zeroed in on Kane as his chosen target. He pelted Kane right in the upper back with the fuzzy yellow-green sphere.

“Was that a paintball? That was a rip,” Kane is heard saying in the video. Another player chimes in to Hughes: “Hey, make a statement, attack the vet!”

Trevor Zegras and Marie-Philip Poulin were among the other players present at the promotional event, an excerpt from which can be seen below:

Of course, Kane has had more than his fair share of run-ins with the Canucks over the years. His Chicago Blackhawks faced off against the Canucks in three consecutive playoff years, with the Canucks losing to Chicago in the second round in 2009 and 2010 before finally prevailing in the quarterfinals in 2011.

Kane is one of the hockey world’s most polarizing figures and he remains without a contract as the second month of the 2023 unrestricted free agency period approaches. The 34-year-old winger collected 21 goals and 57 points in 73 games split between the Blackhawks and New York Rangers in 2022–23.

While Kane is near the end of his own NHL career, Hughes’ is only just beginning. The 23-year-old defenceman set a new career high with 76 points last season and, with four years left on his contract, he’d be a strong candidate to fill Bo Horvat’s vacancy as team captain.

Especially if he keeps hitting Patrick Kane with tennis balls.