It’s only a coincidence that on the night the Minnesota Wild paid tribute to the movie “Star Wars,” on the ice there was “A New Hope” on display for all to see.
By the time their 6-2 blowout of previously high-flying Boston was complete on Sunday, the high price that Wild general manager Bill Guerin paid to bring defenseman Quinn Hughes to Minnesota was looking like a savvy investment.
Hughes — widely regarded as one of the top defensemen in the NHL — scored a third-period goal, ran the team’s top power-play unit and had fans buzzing all night in his first game in a Wild uniform.
“The crowd was electric from, I would say, warmups to the introductions and throughout the game,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “It was great to see the building like that, and the guys performed the way they did, so it was a great combo.”
Brock Faber is used to trading hockey-related texts with his Wild teammates. But when he was cooking on Friday evening and his phone started to light up with messages from his high school friends, he knew something big was up.
“I don’t have Twitter, really, and I don’t follow any hockey accounts on my only other social media, Instagram, so all my buddies were texting me,” Faber recalled. “They were like ‘Quinn Hughes is coming!’ I obviously was shocked. It was something you never saw coming. Obviously, my buddies were joking that they’re mad because I’m not going to be on the first power play anymore.”
Indeed, when the Wild got their initial man advantage of the night versus Boston, it was Hughes taking the first shift on the blue line. Although, it was the second power-play unit that gave the home team the lead, with Faber setting up Jared Spurgeon for the game’s first goal.
Faber started Sunday’s game alongside Hughes, who early on appeared perhaps a bit jittery, with an uncharacteristic giveaway in the neutral zone and a puck that hopped Hughes’ stick at the offensive blue line.
If there were first-period adjustments to be made, it would be understandable following a span of roughly 50 hours that saw Hughes fly from Vancouver to Newark, learn of the trade that would send him to Minnesota, spend a night with his two brothers that play for the Devils, then head to the “State of Hockey” via Wild owner Craig Leipold’s private jet, with general manager Bill Guerin accompanying him.
“My body was a little fatigued. I didn’t really have my legs today,” Hughes admitted, adding that he came to Minnesota on a below-zero night owning almost nothing in the way of warm winter clothing.
“I definitely have some shopping to do,” he said, after logging nearly 27 minutes on the ice with three shots on goal.
Faber was traded to Minnesota in the offseason without ever playing a game for Los Angeles, the team that drafted him. He was immediately empathic to what his new defensive partner was facing, and equally impressed with what Hughes brought in Game 1.
“For his personal life, he’s just had to up and leave, and 48 hours later, he’s playing for a new team,” Faber said. “That’s hard and he made it look pretty dang easy.”
In his postgame press conference, Hughes had the look of someone who had seen and done a lot in 48 hours, including instilling belief that this could be a special season in the minds of Wild fans. He admitted still getting to know his new team and their system, and promised that there is definitely hope on the horizon in Minnesota.
“A little nerves there in the first, and you could see them on my first power play,” Hughes admitted. “It might take a couple games, but I think as we get to Christmas and after Christmas, we’ll be rolling.”
Related Articles
All smiles as Wild rout Boston in Quinn Hughes’ debut
Late-game magic lifts Wild past Senators
Mizutani: Quinn Hughes makes the Wild a Stanley Cup contender. You can’t put a price on that.
Bill Guerin: ‘Right time’s always now’ for Quinn Hughes trade
Christmas comes early as Wild trade for star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver
Leave a Reply