Wayne Gretzky shows Canucks' Quinn Hughes some love on social media
Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes got some public support from a big figure in the hockey world today. The NHL’s all-time leading scorer Wayne Gretzky made a comment on social media celebrating the defenceman.
“So good” read the post from Gretzky’s official Instagram account. The comment was made on a post published by Sportsnet that celebrated Hughes becoming the first defenceman since Bobby Orr to be the first NHL player to reach 30 points.
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This is not the first time that “The Great One” has publicly celebrated Hughes. When it was announced that the American was going to be the new Canucks captain, Gretzky also took to Instagram to show his support.
Gretzky was also the head coach for the 2020 Pacific Divison team at the NHL All-Star Game that featured a 20-year-old Hughes. The blueliner impressed everyone with his silky smooth moves, including the NHL’s best player ever who was shocked at Hughes’ dekes.
“Wow,” Gretzky exclaimed. “That young lad’s a defenceman?! That’s better hands than I had! That’s pretty good.”
Wayne Gretzky mic'd up reacts to the All-Star goal by Quinn Hughes pic.twitter.com/3qX2xUukCx
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) January 26, 2020
Hughes has been on an absolute tear this season, leading the NHL in scoring with 30 points. He is on pace to score 129 points, a mark that would be the fourth-highest all-time in a single year by a defenceman.
All of this offensive production, as well as some still very solid defensive play, has led to Hughes being the betting favourite to win the Norris Trophy. No Canucks defenceman has ever won the award.
Despite having played just 302 games with the team, Hughes is already nearing the top of the franchise leaderboard for points by a defenceman. He currently sits sixth with 271 across his career. With another 55 points, he will move into the second spot just behind Alex Edler, who sits in first with 409.