Hughes said it was “extremely hard” to withdraw from the U.S. roster originally, and he seemed to thank U.S. general manager Bill Guerin for understanding why he couldn’t play then and why he can’t come to Boston now.
He is also the Canucks captain and expects to return to their lineup for their next game, at the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, CITY, SN, CBC). Vancouver currently holds the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with 27 games to go.
“Not to be dramatic, but it was extremely hard,” Hughes said. “I think it’s been something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, and yeah, I mean, I’ve got to thank Bill Guerin for how patient he…