Minnesota Wild star defenseman Quinn Hughes made his highly anticipated return to British Columbia on Sunday night, in what could be the most important game of the 2026-27 season for the lottery-bound Vancouver Canucks.

The former Canucks captain was booed relentlessly throughout the night by most of the 17,560 in attendance at Rogers Arena, but it didn't stop him from being the most impactful player on the ice in a 4-2 Wild win.

Hughes scored the game-winning goal in the second period for his 500th NHL point, then added an assist in the third for his 501st.

The Olympic gold medalist reached 500 points in his 520th game, making him the seventh-fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach the milestone and the second-fastest American blueliner.

The 27-year-old has points in 11 of Minnesota's 13 games, with 16 overall. The Wild are 8-3-2 and in first place in the Central Division.

“I was just proud,” said Hughes, who received some cheers during a video tribute in the first period, per NHL.com's Kevin Woodley. “And obviously I was here for six-and-a-half years, tried my best. And got some cheers there. That was cool for me.

“The passion with the fanbase is what makes it special to play here. So for me, it was cool to be back here, and exciting. And I'm glad we got the win. It's obviously hard on a back to back, and they pushed hard in the first. I thought they were better than us in the first. And then I thought that we pushed in the second and third.”

The Canucks played a video tribute for Quinn Hughes in his return to Vancouver, and he received a combination of boos and a standing ovation from Canucks fans 👀 pic.twitter.com/3f1cYpK3jV

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 26, 2026

“I wasn't thinking about it like that,” Hughes added about the milestone. “I just wanted to get a win, and then I think just seeing the fans and being able to play here again was pretty cool for me. But as far as 500 points, where that happened, it happened.”

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The Canucks got off to a strong start, outshooting the Wild 6-0 in the opening minutes and looking like the better team early.

But that didn't last, with Maxim Shabanov scoring on the power play late in the first period and Minnesota taking over from there. Hughes, Bobby Brink and Kirill Kaprizov also scored, while Max Sasson and Brock Boeser tallied in the third period for the home team.

The Wild looked like the Stanley Cup contenders they are through the final two periods, while the Canucks — who have lost 10 games in a row — looked very much like a rebuilding club that will be in the mix to win the draft lottery next year.

Still, it was an emotional night for Hughes and his former team. The mix of boos and cheers reflected the complicated feelings fans have for the superstar, who was traded to Minnesota last December after declining to commit to a long-term future in Vancouver.