Jim and Ellen Hughes thank you so much for joining us you guys made it to Vancouver okay we’re here in rainy Vancouver today I know that feeling so schneid obviously was the one who helped facilitate a lot of this interview we really appreciate you guys joining us I know there’s a lot
On your mind right now he was lucky enough to host Jack Jack’s um I wanted to call it freshman year but rookie year uh what stories did he have about L with the Schneider family well it’s it’s hard to believe that Lucas uh that Jack has been in a leag
For five years that’s back when back when Cory and Jill had had had uh Jack I think they were playing guitars in the basement and playing golf until hours in the morning down in the basement so you trained them well and we are so thankful
Cory as you know for you and your wife and you’re two adorable little kids and um we look back on those days and and we know we are so grateful to to you and Jill and it was great for Z’s transition I don’t know what we would have done and
He would have done without you guys well I’m thankful for that I’m just thankfully you guys trusted us enough to to take care of him for you but um the one thing that stuck out for me at least with Jack and Quinn and uh Luke was how
Close they are I mean just talking to Jack he would always be on the phone with Quinn or always watching Luke’s games and you could tell that the three of them really pull for each other and they really support each other and just rooted for each other’s success so um is
It going to be interesting for you guys to watch all three of them tomorrow night play against each other or you know what’s that feel like for you guys well I know like for them there and you know how they are they’re so competitive each one of them so it’s all
About for these guys the win they just see it as another game but for me as a parent like I think it’ll really hit when I see all three of them on the ice at the same time I know for me and I said this to Jim earlier that um I love
It when Jack and Luker on the ice at the same time I’m not going to love it when all three of them are on the ice uh well I wanted to ask who’s your your favorite but I’m not I’m not going to ask that um look the the one thing
That I’ve noticed when I when I watch all three of them play and and I think it must have something to do with with perhaps the way they were brought up they make mistakes and it does not bother them it’s on to the next play because they know that they can get it
Back right away but I think that that’s such a good skill to have and it seems like all three of them have that is there any reason you can think of that they’re that they are that way we can’t put a finger on it it’s you
Know it’s just play For the Love of the Game and they played a lot of outdoor hockey when they growing up I think they all had coaches growing up that allowed them to play not freely but played with accountability but allowed their Natural Instincts to come out during their youth
Hockey G days and the with the Toronto Marley’s and Miss Saga Rebels um and I just think it’s a combination of a lot of things in terms of how they grew and they had a small village of people people around them coaches and strength coaches and all kinds of people that
Really smart people that helped um help them on their path yeah well I mean I think it all started at the beginning too Dad obviously Jim you were a coach traveling around coaching at various levels with various leagues and of course mom you won a World Championship three sport
Athlete in college you taught the boys to skate so I feel like at some point you could probably take credit for all of this but at what point did you see something special in in the three of these kids I don’t know for Jim and I and I
Think it’s for so many families have gone through this it’s a day-to-day process and we you know our greatest Hope was that they would get the opportunity to play college hockey like we did and I think it wasn’t until each one of them in their own individual ways
Got to go to the US national development program and you see them playing with and against the best then you see them across you know uh in international tournaments and you realize that you know this is pretty great great and they’re doing pretty good and that’s
Kind of how we looked at it like your greatest Hope was they could play college hockey and they far exceeded that and that’s because of their own internal Fuel and I think just growing up around the game with Jimmy being involved in in at the pro level they got
To see so many things and so many different players and the ups and downs and that was normal um process for them would you agree with that yeah when we were when we were coaching in Boston Robbie F’s father was about 80 at the time and one of the boys was five
Years old or four years old and Ellen took him skating and he he wasn’t skating very well I think it was Quinn and Mr fic said well there’s something wrong there I don’t know what’s happening and they had this feet so they figured out why why he was skating so
Awkward but um it’s been a journey it’s been a journey and a lot of highs and lows and ups and downs and um we met such wonderful people along the way and and here we are in Vancouver now and have the opportunity to see the three of them on the same ice well
That’s the only time I think anyone’s GNA associate bad skating and Quinn together obviously uh it’s fun watching all these guys play but when you go to visit them now you’re in the position you’ve got them out of the house they’re all doing very well uh you don’t need to
Say who’s the worst but who’s the best host when you guys come and stay for a few days uh as far as making sure your bed’s made or or doing a little something extra on your bedside or just welcoming you who is the best host out of all
Three well we’ll take Luke out of the equation because he’s living with Jack so that’s easy I think rightfully so they’re they’re amazing like we feel blessed that they invite us into their condos and they want us around I think it’s the cooking is it right we for them it’s
Just great and I think um what warms our heart is when they’re all together last night and just to hear them talk sometimes we wonder if we’re even in the room but to listen to the three of them Talk Amongst himself and tell stories and play games and it’s just it’s great
To see how close they are Yeah you mentioned that you talk about sorry what’s that they were playing board games at the kitchen table last night for several hours and it’s all about there too well You’ brought it up I mean their competitiveness and and being gracious hosts and all that the one
Thing stood out to me meeting Quinn at the world championships in 2019 that Jack was also there and then obviously living with Jack they’re just great kids they’re they’re highly competitive they’re motivated they’re focused but uh Jack was an incredible house guest he he made his room he was very respectful uh
Quinn the same way maybe a little more soft spoken maybe not quite as much Swagger as Jack but and I got to meet Luke a few times there in Detroit but um you guys have done a great job raising those kids but I know Ellen you told me
A story I was trying to get my son into hockey and get him into skating he said just throw the equipment on him in the basement put him on roller blades let him crash around and bang around and do whatever he wants and he’ll figure it
Out so I want to know what kind of ground rules did you have to set for them when they were kids the three of them being so competitive and probably putting holes through walls and pucks through glass what were some of the ground rules you had to lay out for them
To make sure they didn’t kill each other down there well it’s funny because last night they were tell telling War Stories and it was remember when I watched Miracle and I checked Jack into the uh boards which he thought were boards but was actually the basement wall and he had to
Go get stitches and am I right that was in Manchester when you’re coaching with the monarchs and then you hear about remember what happened to this guy and remember when we were in the outdoor rink and I ripped Jack’s braces off so it’s like one more story after so um but
That was their competitiveness and and I can remember when they got bigger in the basement in Miss Saga Ontario they’d have tons of kids down there and I could feel the wall shaking so I had to go down they be like this is gonna collapse um but I think because they were so
Close in age they py pushed each other and they for each other and listen nights game is a very important game for both teams in the standings and it’s just another hockey game for them uh might be might feel a little differently for Ellen and I but for them they’re
They’re both trying to the three of them are trying to play to the best of their abilities and see if they can get their their team some points Jim it’s almost like you coached before that was such coach speak and I really appreciate you saying that but I don’t know if I truly
Buy it for a second now there’s this great story about the kachu brothers when they play each other mama kachu La down the rule that there is no fighting between those two we know was melee the last time those two teams met up my question for you Ellen is and also this
Goes for you Jim like were there are there any ground rules for the game tomorrow between the three of them and also what is the board game they were playing I need to know yeah oh well they were playing Ry Cube last night and you know they probably played four or five
Games uh and then we had some steak dinners and so it was good it was good because Luke hasn’t seen Jack Luke hasn’t seen Quinn in probably four or five months so it was good to see them catch up and have a few laughs together
And so on and um as far as the to check thing I mean they’ve been such great role model role models for us and they’re such great friends um they’re like family to us but I can tell you one thing that we’re not gonna have to worry about fights with our
Kids is that about right yeah I don’t think you’re we did and we don’t you know even if I gave them um a ground I don’t know what they have amongst themselves but we certainly would be the last to know correct well it was great seeing
You guys uh you know obviously in our house we’re still Big Jack fans Jill and the kids they love even though I’m not on the Devils anymore uh they still love tuning into games I love watching games I love watching him play and how he’s matured and developed from that first
Year because as you know it was a bit of a grind that first year and he struggled a bit and I I just am pretty amazed at his resiliency to become the player he has so uh we just want you to know that we’re always watching Jack and rooting
For him no matter what and uh I’ll definitely be tuning in tomorrow night to my former teams and also the the Hughes Brothers for you guys so it was obviously great seeing you guys again I hope you enjoy it all tomorrow and just soak it in appreciate it guys thank you so much
Yeah we really appreciate it and big hugs to you and Jill and the kids and I hope the hockey’s going well for your little guy and your little girl it’s getting there we’re trying to convince them but they uh they like watching it so at least we got that going for them that’s
To sorry about that Ellen that’s a great first step real quick before we let you two go we know that you have a busy day busy I’m sure 48 hours with everything going on up there in Vancouver what are you wearing to the game and what will be
Your reaction when either team scores a goal will probably be the way we always are we just just sit there and en enjoy our kids play and probably with very little emotion and it’s a humbling Sport and we just try to keep our feet on the ground and just be supportive when we
Can be Jim’s a lot less emotional than me like God forbid I clap he’ll give me one of these um but we have fun with it we’re very quiet we we watch and we just you know we root for both teams and obviously want the three of them to be
At their best to help their team uh come out with a win we would love a tie but we don’t have any say in it and gets overtime and they at least get a point um but as far as wardrobe goes I haven’t even thought about it but I will have
Something Vancouver and Canucks going oh I like that there are shirts out there that say I just want both teams to have fun so maybe you guys can find one of those well I will say real quick you guys are lucky one of’s not a goalie
Then it would get real awkward trying to figure out who to root for and when to year so you should be lucky that one’s not in the net by the way Corey Luke wanted to be a goalie all he want to do was be a goalie and every time he went
In net he was brutal but he poor he’s got stuck in net by his two brothers I was gonna say that’s how I became a goalie my older brother stuck me in the net but I think Luke made the right call on this one so he’s doing just fine so
I’m glad you guys are goalie my committee he got deterred quickly because he’s doing pretty well so that’s great that’s incredible well Jim Ellen thank you so much and uh congratulations on all the success that not only the two of you had but all three sons thank you thanks guys
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