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Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was in attendance with his family at the 20͏24 NHL Awards on ͏Thu͏r͏s͏d͏a͏y at Fontaineblea͏u ͏Las Vegas. It would go on to be a special night for the defenseman as he became the first Canuck in franchise history to win the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the league.
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The Vancouver Canucks had a deep playoff run last season and Hughes played his part to the fullest throughout their regular and postseason campaign. While collecting the award, Hughes shared some heartfelt words and expressed his gratitude to his entire team:
“First off, I'd like to thank my teammates,” Hughes said. “It's a great group of guys and the reality of winning an award like this is you can't do it alone, and you need really good players around you and I certainly have that, so thanks fellas.
"To my coaching staff, Rick Tocchet, Adam Foote, Sergei Gonchar, great group of people, love playing for you guys. Patrik Allvin, Jim Rutherford, thank you for your continued mentorship and trust," he added.
Hughes also extended his thanks to Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford for their mentorship and trust. He also appreciated the Aquilini family, particularly Roberto and Francesco, for their dedication to the team, city and fans.
Quinn Hughes then thanked his family, his brothers and his parents for their support:
“My family, more than anything, my brothers, it's surreal to be able to go through the same profession as you guys and my parents, for your continued support and love.”
The Canucks captain did not forget to mention the other Norris Award nominees, Roman Josi and Cale Makar. He praised both players and expressed his appreciation for their game.
Fans react to Quinn Hughes’ Norris Trophy acceptance speech
The classy acceptance speech by the Canucks captain did not go unnoticed by fans. They took to the internet to let their admiration for Hughes known in the comments.
Here are some of the fan reactions on X/Twitter:
“That is a captain right there. No question he deserves that C.”
“Dude didn’t miss a name,” commented one fan.
“Class act! Very well spoken!” wrote one user.
The comments kept coming online. Fans praised Hughes’ modesty and pointed out why the player was named captain of his team:
“Obvious to see why they gave him the C.”
“I'd give a kidney to have him on my team,” commented one user.
“Best speech of the night,” wrote another fan.
After topping the Pacific Division last season, Quinn Hughes and the Canucks will now be looking to regroup in the off-season and build for another successful campaign in 2024-25.
