Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks’ plane landed around noon.
The team then embarked on a slow crawl through Toronto’s notorious traffic — with a police escort — to its downtown hotel.
There was time for a meal, a quick nap, and not much else. A gutsy effort under Saturday’s bright lights soon followed.
Hughes had a goal and an assist as Vancouver blanked the sluggish Maple Leafs 3-0 after their initial fight was cancelled Friday due to inclement winter weather following a 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“A lot of character in here,” Hughes said of his team. “No one was feeling sorry for themselves.”
Hockey players are notorious creatures of habit, but the travel woes didn’t impact a group that desperately needed a win. Vancouver entered 1-3-3 over its last seven and had registered a solitary regulation victory as part of 2-4-5 slide since mid-December.
“It was …