Canucks' Hughes on Boudreau: 'You want to run through a brick wall for him'

Quinn Hughes has a long history with his head coach.

The Vancouver Canucks star defenceman was a kid in the mid-2000s when Bruce Boudreau patrolled the bench for the American Hockey League's Manchester Monarchs.

Quinn's dad, Jim Hughes, was his assistant.

All these years later, and on the heels of an encouraging first act, the young blue-liner is keen to see what's in store for the Canucks with a full season of Boudreau at the helm.

"He brings a lot of energy," Hughes, set to turn 23 next month, said at the recent NHL/NHLPA player media tour.

"You want to run through a brick wall for him."

Boudreau replaced Travis Green — general manager Jim Benning was fired at the same time — in early December with the club 28th in the overall standings.

The 2008 winner of the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year flipped the mood almost overnight in Vancouver, securing victories in his first seven games and gaining a cult-hero status among fans as chants of "Bruce, there it is!" to the tune of "Whoomp! [There It Is]" rang around Rogers Arena.

Boudreau, 67, went 32-15-10 in 57 games, good for the fifth-best points percentage in the Western Conference over that span. And while he didn't get Vancouver into the playoffs — "There wasn't enough runway," Hughes said — that showing gave management faith his style was the right fit.

"I love Bruce," Hughes said. "Very genuine person, cares about his players. Excited to play for him for a whole year."

Where the coach deploys his smooth-skating, left-shot blue-liner when training camp gets underway this week will be an intriguing storyline.

Hughes spent the first three-plus NHL seasons of his career on his natural side, but is eager to test life on the right for a franchise that's had