Canucks captain Quinn Hughes praises Rick Tocchet: It says a lot about him

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Cooper Godin
October 4, 2024 (1:06 PM)

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Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes calls Rick Tocchet his favourite coach he's ever had.

While he's only been with the Canucks for a season-and-a-half now, Rick Tocchet has grown into one of the most beloved coaches in franchise history and is earning plenty of praise from his players recently.

In a recent interview with Jackie Redmond of 'The Jackie Redmond Show', Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was asked about Rick Tocchet and what he's meant to the team in since being hired in January of 2023.

Hughes went on to call Rick Tocchet is his favourite coach he's ever had in his hockey career and that's saying something given some of the bench bosses the Canucks captain has had including Bruce Boudreau, Don Granato and Mel Pearson.

"He's great. He's the best. He's my favourite coach ever. He's just a great coach, a great person, cares about his players and it's not like 'I'm the coach, you do whatever I say', he's very open to negotiation, to talk things through, he wants to be on the same page." Hughes said.

Under Tocchet, Hughes has thrived immensely. In 36 games after Tocchet was hired in January 2023, Hughes had 34 points. Tocchet liked what he saw in Hughes both from an on-ice perspective and as a leader, making him the Canucks' captain ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Last season, Hughes set a new career-high in points with 92, earning himself the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenceman. As for Rick Tocchet, he was named the recipient of the Jack Adam's Award, handed out annually to the best coach in the National Hockey League.

We'll have to wait and see what the Quinn Hughes and Rick Tocchet have in store for the 2024-25 season, but this team is going to be quite strong once again and could be atop the Pacific Division standings by the time the regular season comes to a close.