Hockey’s latest family feud! Hughes brothers all tally points in New Jersey’s win over Vancouver as three siblings appear in an NHL game for just the ninth time ever

Hockey's newest brotherly trio took the ice for the first time Tuesday as Jack and Luke Hughes helped lift the New Jersey Devils over brother Quinn and the Vancouver Canucks, 6-5.

Impressively, Vancouver registered all three points, with Jack recording a goal and two assists, Luke scoring on a power play for the Devils and Quinn adding a pair of assists for the Canucks.

The game was billed as the “Hughes Bowl,” with parents Jim Hughes and Ellen Weinberg-Hughes on hand to watch their sons, all of whom are former first-round picks.

It was the ninth time in NHL history that three brothers played in the same game.

“I always enjoy playing against Quinn and I seem to be having some good games against him in Vancouver,” Jack said. “It was a nice win and quite fun to play with both my brothers.”

Quinn didn't appreciate the experience all that much.

“It's bittersweet right now,” he said. “I'm sure they appreciate it more than I do now.”

Quinn nearly sparked a comeback for the Canucks on Tuesday after falling behind by three goals entering the third period.

Vancouver's Brock Boeser struck first, taking a pass from JT Miller from along the boards and scoring his NHL-high 18th on the year at 7:02. Sam Lafferty made it 5-4, deflecting Quinn's point shot past New Jersey's Vitek Vanecek at 13:58. Hoglander tied the game, taking the rebound of a Quinn shot and firing it into an open net at 16:34.

Ultimately, New Jersey's Jesper Bratt won the game when he scored the rebound from a shot through traffic.

“It shows how strong we are as a group that we believe in,” Bratt said. 'We knew it was possible to make a difference and come away with the two points.'

Sibling rivalry has been a major theme in the current NHL season, with brothers like William and Alexander Nylander, as well as Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, going head-to-head.

Hockey history is full of brothers on the big stage.

This includes Maurice and Henri Richard during one of Montreal's dynasties, Mark and Marty Howe who played with father Gordie in Hartford, plus Henrik and Daniel Sedin, more recently in Vancouver. This season alone, twenty brothers are playing in the NHL, marking a golden age for on-ice bloodlines.

“It's definitely a sport where it's a family affair and it takes a lot of support,” said Washington defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who is two years younger than brother James, now with Boston.

'Hockey is a game where a lot of it obviously depends on skills and things like that. But there's so much that if you're a smart player and you have an older brother, showing you how to play and what to expect, that's a huge advantage.”

Many of the brothers who have reached the top tier in the world attribute this to childhood mornings at the rink.

“We were just playing, but we would compete and we would raise each other's level without even knowing we were raising each other's level,” said Philadelphia defenseman Marc Staal, who spent much of his career with brothers Jordan and Eric has played. short Jared, also in the NHL.

“You want success because you have seen your brother succeed, or because you push him to achieve more success.”

Marc and Eric Staal shared the Panthers' Cup final together as teammates. Marc said having the kids at the rink and at school made it seem like a normal family work week.

Then there are the opponents, such as the game between Ottawa and Florida, where the teams combined for 167 penalty minutes at the end of November. Matthew and Brady experienced that last week, looking at each other as adversaries with a grudge to settle even though they promised their mother they would never fight each other.

“That rule will not be broken,” Brady said.

It's probably best for future Thanksgiving gatherings. The Staals appreciate this shared experience even now that retirement is not far away. Their father Keith, who played 18 seasons in the NHL, pointed that out. Matthew remembered Brady being drafted and the words he said five years ago.

'I thought, 'This year we're going to play against each other. How great is that?' Matthew remembered. 'And that was five years ago. It's crazy how quickly it happened.'

It is not impossible that a trio of brothers will win the Hart Trophy as MVP, Norris as top defenseman and Calder as rookie of the year. Vancouver's Quinn Hughes appears to be Norris' frontrunner for a quarter of the season, while New Jersey's Jack could be in the Hart talk and Luke the Calder conversation.

Hockey, perhaps more than other sports, is a bastion of brotherly competition, and players benefit from having someone in the family witness the same ups and downs. Trevor van Riemsdyk knows he wouldn't have made it through Division I hockey and into the NHL without James taking that path.

Capitals teammate Dylan Strome went through a similar circumstance learning from older brother Ryan, who was also drafted highly but returned to the minors before breaking into the NHL.

Just as Brady was cheering on Matthew and the Panthers, Dylan waved a rally towel at Madison Square Garden two years ago when Ryan and the New York Rangers were in the playoffs. As long as they're not facing each other — as they did again Thursday when Anaheim hosted Washington — “we're cheering for each other every night,” Dylan said.

While there is a common bond between playing in the league, Chris from Calgary and Brandon Tanev from Seattle spend a lot of time talking during the season and summer. However, it's rare to play on the same team, as Seth and Caleb Jones did for two years with the Blackhawks. Sometimes they were on the ice together.

“We never thought about playing in the NHL together,” Seth said. “A few summers ago we got traded to Chicago two weeks apart, which was pretty crazy. It's crazy how that worked out.'

It was almost a storybook affair with Eric and Marc Staal winning the Stanley Cup together and reaching the finals before losing to Vegas. Although it was a heartbreaking defeat, they appreciated going through it together.

“It's something we'll always have and never forget,” Marc said. “We've all been kind of taking it in, not knowing when it's going to end.”