Canucks Insider Rips Fans for Cheering Former Canucks Captain

Quinn Hughes #43 of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the Seattle Kraken during the second period at Climate Pledge Arena on October 24, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.

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Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

On Sunday evening, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Minnesota Wild for the official return of former captain and Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes, marking his first appearance at Rogers Arena since last December’s blockbuster trade.

While Hughes was met with numerous chants from the crowd – though not nearly to the level of hostility former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk faced during his own return to his former home – plenty of Canucks fans also cheered during a video tribute honoring Hughes’ first game back in Vancouver.

And that’s not sitting well with a particular Canucks insider, who had a considerable distinction for the former Vancouver leader – saying that he was arguably the worst in the club’s history.

Vancouver Canucks Insider Blasts Fans Who Welcomed Back Former Captain Quinn Hughes

Minnesota Wild v Nashville Predators — GettyNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 01: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Minnesota Wild skates the puck during the second period of Opening Night against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on October 01, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Canucks Insider Don Taylor stated during a recent episode of the Donnie and Dhali podcast that he can’t understand why there were multiple Canucks fans cheering for the former captain during his welcome back video at Rogers Arena on Sunday night.

“I got to ask this question: Who are these people who stood up and cheered during his tribute video? Like I mean, the guy was in terms of being a captain and a leader, arguably the worst in Canucks history. As a player, arguably the best. He clearly didn’t have any time for the organization in the city,” said Taylor.

“And we have the video here. This is the video tribute, and there’s people standing up. I understand that, but like he just said goodbye in such a disappointing way.”

However, not all reactions agreed with him.

“The fact is that the majority of fans are not on Twitter, so the venom we saw from fans on this app is not indicative of how many fans felt who are not on here,” one fan responded.

This fan said, “What did you want him to do? If he sticks it out here for two more seasons, he leaves for nothing. He was open with management and allowed us to bring in a great return.”

“You guys should go to a game once in a while to actually see what happens,” answered another fan.

Quinn Hughes Reached 500 Career Points Against The Canucks

During the game, Hughes found the back of the net, becoming the seventh-fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach 500 points (and the second fastest American-born defenseman to do so behind Brian Leetch).

“The passion with the fanbase is what makes it special to play here,” said Hughes after the game via NHL.com. “So for me, it was cool to be back here, and exciting. And I’m glad we got the win. It’s obviously hard on a back to back, and they pushed hard in the first. I thought they were better than us in the first. And then I thought that we pushed in the second and third.”

The Wild won the game by a 4-2 final score, dealing the Canucks their 10th regulation loss of the young season so far.