Not so deep thoughts by donlever

[Cousin Strawberry]

Neely was another

Very good post Donny. I've joked about it but if I was being serious for a change I'd say he showed remarkable restraint not asking out much earlier than he did. Who the fuck would want to be part of this mess? Hell, us diehard fans don't even give a fuck anymore so just imagine being immersed in that shitnest 24/7 with your name as the captain.

Ya no thanks

[Carl Yagro]

Great post, Don.

This franchise and some of its fanbase (some, not all) created all this toxicity and disloyalty, then acts like jilted, spurned lovers by spreading rumours and innuendo, then having the media and supporters continually amplifying the message to deflect from their own incompetence.

COY, Norris, the team that just almost made the conference finals... people don't suddenly have a change of heart and want to "quit". That's not the timeframe as alluded to. It's what happened soon after with gross misdeeds and mismanagement that caused this chain of events.

[Picker of Cherries]

I have no ill will towards Hughes. He is a great player, and was fun to watch, but he obviously gave up on the team and quit instead of trying to be the solution. He lost his chance to be one of the few that perseveres with the same club. He decided to give up on the opportunity to be in the same class as Crosby, Ovechkin, the Sedin, etc in terms of team loyalty, someone who captains one team for his whole career. Perhaps being captain in Vancouver was too hard for his personality. Perhaps teammates, management, fans and media were too much to deal with. There is no shame in that. But it is not inaccurate to call him a quitter, or to think he is more selfish than players that stick it out through good times and bad. He is still a great player, but he’s like Bure was, for whatever reasons not team loyal to a fault like some other players are. I have no problem with others calling him Quit Hughes. It’s accurate and not any worse than the names given to players that are still with the team. If his current team loses in the first round, and that benefits the Canucks, I’m all for it. I’m much more inclined to cheer for players like Garland and Myers because they wanted to stay in Vancouver and were shipped out by management, Hughes chose to leave.

[MJN]

Admittedly I have only glanced at the headlines, however the ownership appears to have constant chaos going on outside of the team. The chances of that not trickling down to the team is slim. If any of the players were my kid or brother I would tell them to steer clear of the Canucks because its not possible to participate in the chaos if you're there.

For me it is hard to fault QH for his decision. It seems to absolutely be the right one and I wont fault someone for not tolerating stupidity. Good on him for leaving, I hope he does well.

[Hockey Widow]

Great post, Don.

This franchise and some of its fanbase (some, not all) created all this toxicity and disloyalty, then acts like jilted, spurned lovers by spreading rumours and innuendo, then having the media and supporters continually amplifying the message to deflect from their own incompetence.

COY, Norris, the team that just almost made the conference finals... people don't suddenly have a change of heart and want to "quit". That's not the timeframe as alluded to. It's what happened soon after with gross misdeeds and mismanagement that caused this chain of events.

This I disagree with. He held out during his last contract negotiation. He only wanted to sign a deal that took him to FA. I believe he had an exit strategy all along.

I agree he did everything by the book as a player with full agency in his decisions. I also agree he is one hell of a player. When I say he quit on the team I don't mean on the ice. I mean he never wanted to be in vancouver. And ya, that is his right as a player and a person in a free world. But he still quit on this team and this City. No matter how you colour it, he did not want to be here. And it goes well beyond the suck that this team has become. I loved him as a player, very special and a ton of fun to watch. But he still exercised his right to quit.

On a more practical and logical basis, I agree with the sentiment that having Minnesota lose in the first round gives us a better pick. Maybe we can all agree on that.

[Meds]

If he never wanted to be in Vancouver, then he didn’t quit. He just never started. That is partly on the Canucks for drafting a player that they didn’t do their proper homework on. He should have been dealt way earlier if he never wanted to be here.

If he never wanted to be here then they should NEVER have made him captain. Thats on the team.

… as if Hughes had no agency in the trajectory of the team - even as team captain.

He was the team captain who presided over the implosion of that core. We rightly blame Petey and Miller for their parts; we blame Demko for his fragility and flakiness; yet the leader of the locker room somehow gets a pass from some for some reason.

He presided? LMAO!!!

The implosion happened because of Miller and Petey.

Quinn reached out to Petey and tried to make efforts only to be rebuffed. What was he supposed to do? Nobody, neither coaches or players, have made any real headway with the Alien. To expect Hughes to magically do so is ridiculous.

Miller was a hot-head. But other than attempt to redirect him with conversation, what can a fellow player do? Nothing. Miller asked out and left.

I’ll give you the Demko argument tho. As captain, Hughes should have used his healing powers to fix Demko’s physical fragility, and if failing to do that he should have suited up in net between shifts on the blueline in order to spell Demko for brief prophylactic intervals. And when those didn’t happen he should have performed the surgical repairs in the medical room in the bowels of Rogers Arena, overseen all of Demko’s rehab, and consulted on any follow-up assessments.

[Topper]

Hughes knew his FA years would be far more valuable negotiated now than if he sold them years ago. he had absolutely no reason to sell off a couple of FA years back then.

What would he have gotten for one or two FA years back then $9M per?

He'll likely be pulling in $14 on his next deal, that is more than the premium he would have received for selling some of those FA years.

[donlever]

Yeah...I'm somewhat surprised these players get chastised for operating to the best of their benefit within the system created by ownership, management and league power brokers.

Do the players partake in CBA's, yeah sure, but let's be real about who holds the ultimate hammer.

Players presented with system.

Players work within system to maximize their income and ability to win.

Fans get butt hurt.

The cycle continues.

[Cousin Strawberry]

There's an inferiority complex in most Canadian markets that permeates every corner of these Canadian NHL markets. The managers obviously experience it as well (JR blathering)

Fans take these actions by the millionaires they idolize as personal rejection of them and the cities they call home.

This isn't the case down south. There hockey players are usually playing a sport that's at least one usually 2 wrungs below their favorite athletes (NFL, MLB, NBA). That would be a far more appealing place to live and work over somewhere that has collective anxiety attacks if their idol goes house shopping in a different city

[Hockey Widow]

Yeah...I'm somewhat surprised these players get chastised for operating to the best of their benefit within the system created by ownership, management and league power brokers.

Do the players partake in CBA's, yeah sure, but let's be real about who holds the ultimate hammer.

Players presented with system.

Players work within system to maximize their income and ability to win.

Fans get butt hurt.

The cycle continues.

I don't chastise him for utilizing the system to his advantage, not at all. I also recognize that he did everything fully within his rights, and even did us a solid by letting us know well ahead of time so we could maximize the return. I also acknowledge he is one of, if not, the best all time Canucks.

I get butt hurt because he quit on Vancouver, he wanted out, he is a traitor to the cause, he wanted to go South. Respect and disdain are not mutually exclusive.

[Cornuck]

Respect and disdain are not mutually exclusive.

This is so true - espeically when it comes to pro athletes. Most of us consider Hughes to be one of the top 2 players to ever suit up for us. I don't really blame him for having the foresight to bail on this shitshow, but it was inevitable. Now that he's gone, I really don't care if he finds success with the Wild or anyone else. He' not a Canuck anymore. He won't sign a one-day contract and retire a Canuck. Buh-bye.

This year, I want the Wild out of the playoffs fast to help our draft standing.

[donlever]

I think you make fair points HW and I will not belittle them by debating further...we disagree on this subject.

Fuck all wrong with that.

The point of me taking the time to voice my opinion in that post has been served.

Site dialogue.

[5thhorseman]

In retrospect Hughes seems too soft-spoken to be a captain. Can you imagine him raising his voice or having a commanding presence in the dressing room? Not me.

[Carl Yagro]

The point of me taking the time to voice my opinion in that post has been served.

Site dialogue.

I too respect HW's POV, even though I very much disagree with some of the details. At the end of the day, it's our own opinions and we're not able to tap into the thoughts of player and management.

Appreciate people posting their sides on here that can be discussed. Even with disagreements, the change at the CC where people feel freer to express themselves without things constantly getting hijacked into stupidity says a lot about the 18 folks left here.

Anyways... TWR

[Cousin Strawberry]

In retrospect Hughes seems too soft-spoken to be a captain. Can you imagine him raising his voice or having a commanding presence in the dressing room? Not me.

Remember the ref shoo-ing him off to the penalty box while his pubescent crackling voice was arguing away on a hot mic...good times