So, 3B defenceman eh?
Ever since Quinn Hughes received the C on his chest, he’s found a different gear. It’s absurd to think that Hughes has a reasonable argument for the Norris, Hart, and Art Ross trophies, but here we are. He’s already tied his career high in goals in just the 19th game of the season, while his 30 points are currently sitting atop the NHL scoring race.
As Sportsnet Stats pointed out last night: The 49-year-long NHL streak of a forward being the one to break the 30 point mark first in a season ended with Quinn Hughes last night.
That was the year that Orr finished the season with 46 goals and 89 assists for 135 points, en route winning the Norris, Ted Lindsay (then called the Lester B. Pearson Award), and Art Ross trophies. While this isn’t saying that Hughes is going to keep pace with that, the defenceman is also facing much better netminding than Orr’s era.
Here are four more bonkers stats from Quinn Hughes’ start to the season.
3rd defenceman in NHL history with 30 points in fewer than 20 games to begin a season, joining Bobby Orr (5x) & Al MacInnis in 1990-91
With his assist last night on JT Miller’s 3-1 goal, Quinn Hughes put himself at the 30-point mark in just 19 games. That made him only the 3rd defenceman to achieve this feat alongside the legendary Bobby Orr and Al MacInnis. Keeping the company of two Hall of Famers is impressive enough, and it was the first time in 22 years that this feat was achieved.
Only two other Canucks defencemen in the past decade have reached 30 points in a season
This one might be more indicative of the dearth of defensive talent that the Canucks have had of late, but Hughes’ 30-point tally thus far this season already puts him on the same level as Alexander Edler and Jason Garrison. Only the latter two managed to break the 30-point plateau in a season with the Canucks during the past 10 years, and here’s Quinn Hughes doing so in just 19 games.
The second-quickest Canuck to 30 points in a season in franchise history
Hughes managed to outpace the likes of Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure to the 30-point mark, his 19 games ahead of their 20 and 21 respectively. It’s insane to think that he’s ahead of two of the most naturally gifted offensive players in franchise history, and Hughes is doing so as a defenceman. The only player ahead of him is Tony Tanti, who reached the 30-point mark in 17 games during the 1983-84 season.
The second-most points in a calendar month by a Canuck defenceman
Hughes racked up 19 points in the month of November, surpassing Paul Reinhart’s 18 in October 1989 and Dale Tallon’s 18 in March 1971. The only defenceman ahead of Hughes is Dennis Kearns, who recorded 21 points in March 1977. Vancouver still has 5 games left in the month as well, meaning that the chances are pretty decent for Hughes to break this record as well.
The captain of the Canucks is currently on pace for 35 goals and 95 assists for 130 points on the season. It’ll remain to be seen if Hughes can keep this run going, but whatever the outcome is, we’ve been able to witness historical greatness already.
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