How family helped Ottawa Charge star Gabbie Hughes on her journey to PWHL final

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Gabbie Hughes had more than 60 reasons for wanting to shut down the best women’s hockey player on the planet over an eight-day stretch that concluded last Friday.

The list included her burning desire to help the Ottawa Charge become the first Canadian team to reach the PWHL’s Walter Cup final, the wish to be reunited and play before dozens of relatives when the championship series against the Minnesota Frost — which begins Tuesday at TD Place — moves to her home state for games 3 and 4, and, consciously or not, to give the U.S. national team decision makers something to think about when they’re picking the squad for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

While everyone insists it was a “team effort” that limited the prolific Marie-Philip Poulin to just a goal and an assist when the Charge eliminated the Montreal Victoire in a best-of-five opening-round set that lasted four games, Ottawa coach Carla MacLeod leaned heavily on a five-player shutdown group of Hughes, Emily Clark, Mannon McMahon, and defenders Jocelyne Larocque and Ashton Bell whenever she had a chance.

As a centre, Hughes could probably tell you the flavour of toothpaste used by Poulin, who plays the same position, by the time the series was over.

The checking role was embraced by Hughes, who was tied for second on the Charge scoring list last season, had 43 goals in 25 games in 2015-16 at Centennial High School in Minnesota, and netted 33 in 40 games as a senior for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs six years later.

Asked on Sunday if shutting down Montreal’s top guns gave her greater satisfaction than scoring goals of her own, Hughes was emphatic with her response.

“Yeah, 100 per cent,” she said. “I think the moment Carla sat us down and told us what our job was, we were pumped, we were amped for it. It takes a lot of pride in the D-zone to do the job that we did, and to know that we did it well, that it gave the rest of the team the opportunity to run with their game … and on top of how great we did defensively, we produced, too … I’m just so proud of my linemates, and how much pride we do take in the D-zone. That’s the greatest feat we took away from the series, for sure.”

The contributions haven’t gone unnoticed by Charge fans, who have incorporated a chant of “Hughesss” (that outsiders might mistake for boos) during a game.

“It’s so cool,” said the 25-year-old. “I try to keep my composure, I’m like, OK, we’re going to do a faceoff with MPP here soon, so we gotta dial it in, and then they do that, and I can’t help but just smile ear to ear. It’s just so cool.”

Hughes, meanwhile, isn’t one to take her work home with her, despite how easy that would be.

On the Charge roster are five former UMD Bulldogs (six if you count assistant coach Haley Irwin) and she lives with two of them — Bell and McMahon.

“We’re such good friends,” said Hughes. “But once we leave the rink, there’s not much hockey talk. We’re just trying to enjoy life, enjoy each other’s presence. After some big minutes (against Montreal, especially in Game 2’s four overtimes) not much is being said. You’re kind of just recouping in silence with your roommates and trying to fuel your bodies, and get back to being game-ready.”

Line matching won’t be as important against the Frost, which has a dynamic first unit that includes Taylor Heise (the playoffs’ top offensive producer with seven points in four games), captain Kendall Coyne Schofield and Michela Cava.

But along with a backend that includes Sophia Jaques and Claire Thompson, who are up for the PWHL’s Defender of the Year award with Toronto’s Reneta Fast, Minnesota, like Ottawa, relies on its depth.

Still, both Hughes and Bell, a Manitoban, did enough against Poulin to warrant the attention of their respective national rosters, which they weren’t included on in the recent world championship despite both previously being part of the respective programs.

If anything, the slight has helped the Charge, which benefited from the fact both Hughes and Bell have the added incentive of proving they belong in Italy.

“Any time you don’t make that team, it obviously hurts a little bit and stings a bit,” said Bell. “So I definitely use that as motivation.”

Said Hughes: “It’s obviously tough when you don’t make those rosters. But when we have a league like (the PWHL), it’s not how it used to be. Hockey is not done. You have a team to come back to, and a family to come back to, and I really have had Ottawa to lean on throughout this journey and this year. So this is my team, and these are my family members here. It’s fun and it’s exciting, but I do it for the people here in this locker room, and we’ve been chasing after this (Walter Cup), and it’s fun that it’s right here.”

Meanwhile, Hughes’ blood family is a big one.

Her dad, Terry, is one of seven kids and, along with mom Miki’s side, there’s “probably about 50-60” relatives who are quite active in a group chat when she’s playing.

“We’re super close,” said Hughes. “They like to commentate throughout the game, so when I come back to my phone, I have about 100 messages to go through. It’s great. We do it for Wild games, too. We just love talking to each other. We miss one another, and the group chat keeps us connected.”

That connection will be evident with the entire clan in attendance at the Xcel Energy Center when the Walter Cup final switches venues.

“It’s unbelievable to have that support system to lean on,” said Hughes. “It’s not just my mom and dad, and my two brothers. I’ve had 60 other people behind me throughout my high school years, my college years, and now in the professional years. So they’ve really driven me to give it my all every single day.

“They believe in me, and it helps me believe in myself. So I’m just so lucky to have them.”