Patrick Johnston: The Canucks’ captain doesn’t seem to have any story to tell \u2014 and that’s a story on its own. An ominous one<\/p>\n
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Published Nov 12, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0hour ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Even in the midst of relentlessly gloomy days, Bo Horvat would arrive at the rink with a story to tell. He knew his job was to give some hope, some life, to the Vancouver Canucks<\/a>\u2019 ambitions, even if in the moment they weren\u2019t winning.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n This is all for something, this is a thing we have to learn. There\u2019s a purpose to all of this, he\u2019d say.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n And he did this even before he was named captain in 2019. He spent a whole year as the informal leader of the Canucks, practising for an obvious future as the man who wore the C.<\/p>\n He did get to learn at the side of the greatest Canucks captain of them all. And Henrik Sedin learned from Markus Naslund, who learned from Mark Messier and Trevor Linden. Linden learned from Stan Smyl. And so on.<\/p>\n There was a thread. Many of those years weren\u2019t easy and yet the captains all found things to highlight, narratives to push, a story to tell.<\/p>\n What we saw after Tuesday\u2019s 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets was a captain apparently out of answers. Quinn Hughes<\/a>\u2019 post-game availability was so curt the Canucks\u2019 social media team made minimal note of it. You can find it if you dig around the team website or go to YouTube, but if you\u2019re looking for short-form social media, you won\u2019t find it.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n And let\u2019s be honest: Hughes\u2019 performance post-game is not in isolation. More and more he\u2019s not arriving in front of the cameras with a story to tell. And who can blame him? This season is already a slog. His team\u2019s ambitions are set to be cut off at the knees.<\/p>\n Last season was an awful drain on him. The overall course of things has surely been a drain on him: don\u2019t forget that Adam Foote is the fourth coach he\u2019s had in five seasons. Turnover like that is not inspiring.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been doing his best to drag this team forward. Even in a game where he left for a time with an injury that he dismissed as simply a \u201cweird play,\u201d he made a difference. He played 28 minutes! He had three assists! (Did you now he has six points in four games?)<\/p>\n And yet his team still lost. His team is 8-9-1. They may be playing entertaining hockey many nights, but to make the playoffs they need to win more.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, Hughes is apparently still upbeat, still focused on the task at hand. But that\u2019s not what he\u2019s showing when he gets the chance to present himself to the public.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s both a strange thing and an understandable thing.<\/p>\n It\u2019s strange given the Horvat lesson: no matter how bad people may think things are, it\u2019s your job as the team\u2019s chief spokesperson to sell a different story. Hughes may feel frustrated with the perception of the team, let alone the reality of the team, but he\u2019s not saying anything to make anyone think otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to Hughes last night,\u201d more than a few people asked me Wednesday morning. His apparent injury was the topic of the day at school drop-off. I had to reply that I didn\u2019t know, that when he was asked about the apparent injury after the game he didn\u2019t share any details.<\/p>\n All this said, it\u2019s understandable he\u2019s showing frustration. After all, he wants to win. He\u2019s not been seeing much of that lately.<\/p>\n Maybe what Horvat did was just impossible to repeat.<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Canucks: Why Tyler Myers used blood work to help map condensed schedule strategy<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cp175287382_299829218.jpg\")
Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes waits for a faceoff during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Arena on Sunday night Photo by DARRYL DYCK \/THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.9.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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Quinn Hughes holds his arm and kneels on the ice after getting tangled up with Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Mark Scheifele, not seen, during the second period on Tuesday night Photo by DARRYL DYCK \/THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n![\"Vancouver](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cp175174605_299362150.jpg\")
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