{"id":468384,"date":"2026-02-23T17:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/468384\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T17:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:38:15","slug":"wilds-olympic-hero-plays-hard-parties-harder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/468384\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild&#8217;s Olympic Hero Plays Hard, Parties Harder"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"788\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HBy4HMwXQAASIUb-scaled-e1771859768428.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium tpd-force-16x9-aspect-ratio wp-post-image\" alt=\"Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes celebrating Team USA Gold Medal\" decoding=\"sync\" loading=\"eager\"   fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>Credit: Kevin Falness screenshot (X &#8211; @RadioFalness)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>The 2025-26 NHL clock <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/minnesota-wild\/olympics-guerin-mn-wild-trade-rumors\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">officially started ticking again<\/a> at midnight ET, after Team USA beat Canada in overtime Sunday and took home Gold at the Winter Olympics for the first time in 46 years.<\/p>\n<p>With the trade deadline now two weeks out, the next Minnesota Wild blockbuster could happen at any moment. But first, all the American \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/drosennhl\/status\/2025630940110754182?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow\">whiskey drinkers<\/a>\u201d will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/minnesota-wild\/lou-nanne-jack-hughes-trade-rumors-mn-wild\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">celebrate their historic Gold Medal<\/a> until they board a flight Tuesday and head back to The States.<\/p>\n<p>Between now and then, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/minnesota-wild\/nhl-trade-analysis-quinn-hughes-mn-wild-canucks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">newly acquired<\/a> Wild superstar and Olympic Hero Quinn Hughes plans to party harder than anyone else on Team USA, an itinerary that began immediately after the medal ceremony Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Quinn did a three-way postgame press conference with brother Jack and American captain Auston Matthews. In the middle, he could be seen asking someone off camera for another beer, pointing to his half-full bottle, then signalling \u201cone more\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Once his request was acknowledged, he snapped back to just in time to go after a Toronto reporter who was trying to bring Matthews back down to earth with a question on the Captain\u2019s tough season as a Maple Leaf.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Quinn Hughes asks for another beer before he and his brother defend Auston Matthews from a reporter who tried changing the topic to his regular season play.<\/p>\n<p>Reporter: I don&#8217;t want to take you away from this moment\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Matthews: I&#8217;m trying to live in the moment, man. Come on.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Y9B79Jyyym\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/Y9B79Jyyym<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/2025796316497072380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 23, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Quinn Hughes is ready for an ALL-TIME bender <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eSPQgq2xhB\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/eSPQgq2xhB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stoolgambling\/status\/2025723752776896576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 23, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Thursday night, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/minnesota-wild\/minnesota-wild-game-today\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"44392\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wild\u2019s season resumes<\/a> in Colorado vs the 37-9-9 Avalanche and their <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JClipperton_CP\/status\/2025611240349872336?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow\">sore Canadian loser<\/a> of an Alternate Captain, Nathan MacKinnon.<\/p>\n<p>And after watching the clips of Quinn Hughes celebrating last night (below), it\u2019s worth wondering if four days will be enough time for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hughequ01.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">26-year-old<\/a> American hero to recover from Olympic exhaustion, jet lag\u2026 and what is sure to be an EXTREME hangover.<\/p>\n<p>New Minnesota Wild superstar Quinn Hughes goes so hard<\/p>\n<p>About an hour after his press conference \u201cbeer me\u201d request, someone thought it was a good idea for Quinn to do an interview on NBC where he 100% confirmed he got the beverage he was looking for earlier. It doesn\u2019t sound like he had any issue finding more after that too\u2026<\/p>\n<p>During his iconic facetime on NBC, the eldest Hughes brother thanked everyone he could think of, which wound up being a bit more difficult than he probably thought it would be, going in. So when his internal list of thank-yous dried up, he did what any drunk American patriot would and thanked the troops.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">oh quinn is gone <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jbLHh1Pzwr\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/jbLHh1Pzwr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83e\udd64 (@43wings) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/43wings\/status\/2025705846169092479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 22, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Our guy Quinn Hughes slugging a beer on NBC right now during a TV interview\ud83e\udd47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tj1qWSLwt8\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/tj1qWSLwt8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris Egert (@ChrisEgertKSTP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisEgertKSTP\/status\/2025696309039038886?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 22, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">quinn is fucking blasted i\u2019m dying the thumbs up to hellebuyck \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pJBnhH1UrP\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/pJBnhH1UrP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 alexandra (@borgenszn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/borgenszn\/status\/2025725752885321799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 23, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>I fell in love with Quinn Hughes shortly after he was acquired by the Minnesota Wild. The nation fell in love with him at the 2026 Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>And during the celebration, he forever solidified himself in the hearts of blue-collared Americans everywhere who now would love nothing more than to belly up at a bar and slam a Busch Light with their new Olympic hero.<\/p>\n<p>MN Wild vs Avalanche Thursday could be interesting<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no doubt MacKinnon will be hungry for any taste of revenge vs three main pieces of Team USA, in Hughes, Brock Faber, and Matt Boldy, especially when it would also mean pushing the Minnesota Wild further below them in the Central Division standings.<\/p>\n<p>Despite how important Thursday\u2019s game is, I could care less if the Minnesota Wild lose because of a literal Olympic hangover. The rush Team USA gave the American public on Sunday morning will live forever.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Drunk Quinn Hughes is officially my favorite Quinn Hughes <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QCbaivSvwg\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/QCbaivSvwg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 kk \u1889\ud802\udf69 (@willscookies) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/willscookies\/status\/2025740212706377885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 23, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">quinn hughes white girl wasted spamming his instagram story is actually so funny to me <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UjmIwI81sK\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/UjmIwI81sK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 kate (@njdkatie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/njdkatie\/status\/2025662864069886273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 22, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What could be better than Quinn Hughes drunk spamming his Instagram story with red white and blue blood American glory yesterday? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RJK56jGrSM\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/RJK56jGrSM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realmnsportsfan\/status\/2025950346959290565?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 23, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Win or lose vs the Avs, the Wild still have 28 games remaining in their regular season. A first round playoff bye would be great but what\u2019s more important is what Bill Guerin does between now and the NHL trade deadline on March 6.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/tag\/olympics\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Olympics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/tag\/quinn-hughes\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Quinn Hughes<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/tag\/team-usa\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Team USA<\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"categories single-categories\">More About:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\/category\/minnesota-wild\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 1rem auto; padding: 1rem 0; border-top: 1px solid #e4e4e4; border-bottom: 1px solid #e4e4e4;\"><a class=\"google-preferred-source\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.minnesotasportsfan.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" aria-label=\"Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.\">Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/google_preferred_source_badge.png\" alt=\"Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.\" width=\"90\" height=\"28\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"margin: 0 0 0 10px;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit: Kevin Falness screenshot (X &#8211; @RadioFalness) The 2025-26 NHL clock officially started ticking again at midnight ET,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":468385,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5118],"tags":[5,161,38,5280,4,2602,1496,3255,162],"class_list":{"0":"post-468384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-wild","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-minnesota","10":"tag-minnesota-wild","11":"tag-minnesotawild","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-olympics","14":"tag-quinn-hughes","15":"tag-team-usa","16":"tag-wild"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116121169063186083","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}