Canucks' Hughes playing both his brothers tonight: "It's an emotional day"
Tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game is special as it’s the second-ever “Hughes Bowl.”
This means all three Hughes brothers — with Quinn on the Canucks and his brothers Luke and Jack on the New Jersey Devils — will be playing in the same NHL game. It’s an impressive feat worth celebrating and a major moment for the family.
“We’ve only done it once, and it’s great seeing them,” explained Quinn to media this morning. “[It’s] usually a fun day. Rare opportunity and I just try to take it in.”
“It was really good to see them last night and just enjoy each other’s company.”
The Hughes brothers’ parents are also in town and will be at Rogers Arena tonight to watch their sons take the ice.
This is a matchup that Quinn has circled on his calendar from the start of the season.
“The first thing you do is look to see when you’re playing your brother,” said the Canucks captain about what he does when the new schedule is released every offseason.
“It’s an emotional day just because there’s a lot of different thoughts and thinking about different things. You want them to do well and play well, but at the same time, you want your team to be successful and win.”
While the three brothers are competitive, Quinn told the media today that there is no extra trash-talking when they are all on the ice together.
“What I respect about their family… they’re always looking to push the envelope,” said coach Rick Tocchet about the Hughes gang.
“A couple years ago, [Quinn] didn’t have the shot. He worked senselessly on his shot, just every day in the summer the last couple years, and now he’s got one of the best shots on our team.”
“I can’t speak for the other kids, obviously they’re great, but I know our guy here, Quinn, he’s obsessed to get better.”
The Devils won the first Hughes Bowl last year. Jack had three points, Luke had a goal, and Quinn had two points as the Eastern Conference team won 6-5. The Canucks will be looking for a better result tonight at 7:30 pm PT when the puck drops.