Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller speak freely after Olympic gold, Canucks fans feel the "got away" sting
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 24, 2026 (1:34 PM)
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Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller just won Olympic gold, and the Vancouver Canucks are stuck watching two ex-core pieces shine elsewhere.
Sunday in Milan, Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in overtime to take the men's hockey gold.
Hughes was right in the middle of it, driving play from the back end and playing huge minutes in the tight ones.
He even had that earlier overtime winner against Sweden that basically announced, yep, this is his tournament.
Miller did Miller things, heavy on the forecheck, loud on the bench, and trusted when the game got ugly.
Team USA went perfect on the penalty kill, and Miller was one of the guys stapled to those high-stress shifts.
The sting for Vancouver is the timing, because both guys left the Canucks before the medals ever hit their necks.
You can see all of their comments by clicking the link in the post below:
Hughes was dealt to the Minnesota Wild on December 13, 2025, and the Canucks didn't just lose a defender, they lost a nightly pace-setter.
Miller was shipped to the New York Rangers on January 31, 2025, and Vancouver's lineup has felt that missing edge ever since.
Quinn Hughes makes Vancouver Canucks regret the move
Canucks fans watched that gold moment and felt the gut-punch, because the team still needs a true game-driving blue liner.
Hughes put up 1-7-8 at the Olympics, and that reads like a reminder, not a celebration, if you're in Vancouver.
The return might age fine, but the immediate reality is the Canucks no longer have a player who tilts the ice like that.
Miller leaving also hit the identity, because he played top-six bully hockey and took the hard matchups without blinking.
On Team USA, those two weren't passengers, they were role anchors, and that's why the roster worked.
Now the Canucks have to answer the uncomfortable part, can you build a winner after letting that kind of DNA walk.
The next milestone is simple, Vancouver has to prove their new core can match that level when the games tighten up again.
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