Hughes hears boos, cheers during Vancouver homecoming with Wild

VANCOUVER -- Quinn Hughes heard a lot of boos in his first game back in Vancouver, but a mixture of cheers during a first period tribute video is how the Minnesota Wild defenseman will remember an emotional night.

Even more than reaching the 500 points in the NHL.

Hughes was booed steadily from the time he first stepped on the ice for warmups, when he was shown on the scoreboard during the national anthems, and every time he touched the puck in a 4-2 Minnesota win against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. But the booing turned to a mix of cheers and some standing ovations during the video tribute, and it did not go unnoticed. 

"I was just proud," said Hughes, who skated out from the Wild bench and saluted the crowd with a raised stick. "And obviously I was here for six-and-a-half years, tried my best. And got some cheers there. That was cool for me." 

Hughes scored on the power play at 12:55 of the second period to put the Wild ahead 3-0 for his 500th point in his 520th game, making him the seventh fastest defenseman all-time -- and second fastest American defenseman after Brian Leetch (496 games) -- to reach the milestone. He added an assist by sending Kirill Kaprizov in on a breakaway for his NHL-leading 13th goal of the season to make it 4-0 at 3:38 of the third period to make it 501 points (69 goals, 432 assists).

"I wasn't thinking about it like that," he said of the milestone. "I just wanted to get a win … and then I think just seeing the fans and being able to play here again was pretty cool for me. But as far as 500 points, where that happened, it happened."

Hughes had 432 of those points (61 goals, 371 assists) in 459 games with the Canucks, who selected him with the No. 7 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. He is the team's all-time leading scorer among defensemen, the only one to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman -- in 2023-24 -- and was captain from Sept. 11, 2023 until he was traded to the Wild on Dec. 12, 2025 for forwards Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft used to select Adam Novotny at No. 24.

"I met some of my best friends here," Hughes said. "I was here a long time. I mean, I got here when I was 19. And the differences from me at 19 to where I'm at now, I mean, I feel like a new person and a lot of those things I was able to grow with those guys, and vice versa. So it was great to see them."

Most of those teammates tapped their sticks during the Hughes tribute in the first period and were glad to hear the fans applaud after the early boos.

"He definitely deserved the cheers," said Luke Schenn, Hughes' first NHL defense partner. "I don't know if there's really much reason to be negative as far as what he's done for the organization and he was pretty dominant again tonight, especially the second half. Obviously, they're booing him, but at the end of the day I think everyone is proud he was once a Canuck."

The booing started in warm-ups, which included one fan holding a sign that read, "and I thought I had commitment issues," a reference to Hughes being in the final season of a six-year, $47.1 million contract ($7.85 million average annual value) he signed with Vancouver on Oct. 3, 2021.  

It was that expiring contract and Hughes' possible free agency that led to him being traded from the Canucks.

In fact, the 27-year-old has been eligible to sign a new contract with the Wild since July 1. If he doesn't sign by June 30, he will become an unrestricted free agent. The Canucks fans chanted "he's not signing" in the first and second periods.

"It felt like the (Stanley Cup) Playoffs here a couple years ago when we played here with Edmonton (in 2024)," said Wild goalie Calvin Pickard, who made 15 saves. "It's a loud building, passionate fan base. He handled it well. He played great. He's such a good player, and it was awesome to see him score. … I can't imagine it's easy in a moment like that for him but he thrives. He's great every night. He's so fun to watch. I'm just so lucky to be on his side."

Hughes, who was also serenaded with chants of "quitter" off and on, has 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 13 games, at least one point in 11 of those games, and now has 69 points (eight goals, 61 assists) in 61 games with Minnesota. 

"Really happy for Quinn," coach John Hynes said. "It's an emotional time for him, anytime you change organizations and your first time back. I thought he played really well. For our team to be able to get the win, but also I think him personally to be able to have the win here, his first time back, but also his milestone, which was an unbelievable accomplishment for him."