And just like that, another Vancouver Canucks season has come to a close. Through all its ups and downs, the one consistent silver lining on this team has been captain Quinn Hughes. And now he’s being recognized for it by the fans.
Wednesday night marked the final game of their regular season and Fan Appreciation Night at Rogers Arena. With that, the Vancouver Canucks announced the winners of their annual team awards.
Hughes was the star of the show, winning six of the seven awards. He won the Cyclone Taylor Trophy for “Most Valuable Player,” the Walter (Babe) Pratt Trophy for “Best Defenceman,” the Pavel Bure Award for “Most Exciting Player,” the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy for “Leading Scorer,” the Three Stars Award, and the Daniel & Henrik Sedin Community Award.
Kiefer Sherwood was the sole other recipient, picking up the Fred J. Hume award as the team’s “Unsung Hero.”
It’s no surprise Hughes earned so much hardware, leading the team on and off the ice in many ways this year. He finished with 16 goals and 60 assists for 76 points, leading the team by a wide margin despite playing only 68 games. He also finished with the highest points-per-game total of his career at 1.12.
Hughes’ defensive metrics continued to be strong, as he was crowned the team’s best defenceman for the sixth consecutive year. However, the 25-year-old is the first defenceman in franchise history to pick up the Cyclone Taylor Trophy, the Pavel Bure Award, the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy, and the Three Stars Award.
His community leadership continues to be recognized with the Daniel & Henrik Sedin Community Award, after he was also named the Canucks’ nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy earlier this week, an NHL award presented annually “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” The Sedin twins are both former recipients of the King Clancy Award, with Henrik being the only two-time winner of the award, known for their longstanding charity work.
This year, Hughes has continued to be a strong part of the Vancouver community off the ice, partnering with multiple initiatives, including supporting families from the BC Children’s Hospital, and continuing his Team 43 program, which provides free Canucks tickets and meet and greets to first responders.
Sherwood meanwhile received recognition for his understated contributions to the Canucks this season, being dubbed the team’s “Unsung Hero.” Playing in his first season with Vancouver, he had 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points in 78 games with an average of 14:53 ice time, all career highs. The 6’0″, 194 lb. winger brought the physicality this year too, setting an NHL record for most hits in a single season with 460.
