It was a busy morning out at Rogers Arena today, as the Vancouver Canucks officially introduced Quinn Hughes as the 15th captain in franchise history.
Hughes sat with head coach Rick Tocchet and general manager Rick Tocchet by his side for his first press conference at Rogers Arena earlier this morning, and we, along with the Sedins, Jim Rutherford, Elias Pettersson, Thatcher Demko, and JT Miller, were in attendance.
“We’re thrilled to announce Quinn Hughes as the 15th captain of this franchise,” said Allvin. “Significant milestone for the team, signifying the change of leadership and the identity of the team. This isn’t just a reflection of Quinn’s exceptional talent on the ice; it’s also a reflection on him off the ice and his leadership qualities. We’re very fortunate to have several players, including Petey, JT, and Demko, that easily could have worn the C. It’s not about one guy, it’s about the team. This was a collective process, Rick Tocchet, the coaching staff, the hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, and the ownership were on board with this and they’re excited about Quinn Hughes as the captain here.”
Allvin spoke further about why the club decided now was the right time to name a captain, pointing to the importance of naming a captain before training camp kicks off.
“We wanted to do this to have a fresh start in training camp with the new leadership group building off the momentum from last year when Rick Tocceht came in, so that’s the [reason] for making this announcement here today.”
“Just for me personally, you know you made a great decision when you got the guys over there, JT, Petey, and Demmer — how excited they were when we told them,” said head coach Rick Tocchet. “It could easily have been one of those guys and Quinn knows that. What I was impressed with Hughesy was last year when I came in, just his love for the game, how his teammates… you know he mixes with everybody. As a captain, you mix with everybody. He said some uncomfortable things that he had to say, if something didn’t go well, or if he had to even put himself out there — that’s why I really like this leadership group and Huggy, they’re not afraid to say something to me, and that was important for me in making that decision.
“He’s got all the qualities. He’s still learning, which is great, and he’s going to need the support from all of us and like I said, the leadership group is excited that he’s here and them being here is a big feather in our cap with Huggy.”
Hughes thanked Canucks ownership and management for their faith in him to wear the C on his jersey, before talking about what it means to him to be the team’s new captain.
“It means a great deal to me,” said Hughes. “Especially being in a Canadian market, when I moved here five years ago and started playing for the Canucks, I knew right away what a hockey market it is and how important hockey is to this city and the market and the people in Vancouver. So to now be the captain, it’s an incredible honour, something I never even dreamed of and I’m going to try my best.
“I’m never going to be the loudest guy in the room; I’m going to be a guy that can hopefully be a leader through his work ethic and in the games. As time goes on, I’ll learn more and more about myself and being a leader. I feel really confident walking into this cause of the coaching staff and the management I have with me and the people behind me… For me, this isn’t the end of learning, this is just the beginning, I’m going to keep learning. Keep learning from Millsy, Petey, and Demmer and different guys in the room and the coaching staff… I’m hoping obviously to be a great leader and I think I will be.”
Hughes added that he hopes to lean on the guidance of Henrik and Daniel Sedin more than he has in the past.
“Two people I haven’t brought up today that I haven’t really leaned on as much as I probably should have are the Sedins. They know exactly what it means to be a captain and a leader of the day. Haven’t really leaned on them as much as I probably should have, just been busy, really crazy throughout last season, but definitely two people going forward that I’m really going to lean on.”
The Canucks stumbled out of the gate last season, losing seven straight games to kick off the year. The club’s leadership group spoke plenty about how important avoiding a similar start would be, and how important it was for them to set the bar high by showing up early for informal skates.
Canucks training camp kicks off next week in Victoria, and we’ll have full coverage daily here at CanucksArmy.