MUSKEGON – Rob Hutson has had fond memories of Muskegon hockey for quite a long time.
He played for the old Muskegon Fury for parts of four seasons, and was a member of the 2001-02 Fury team that won the Colonial Cup championship in the old Colonial Hockey League.
Of course Hutson, a native of western Canada and current resident of New Jersey, had no idea that he would have another close hockey encounter with Muskegon years later, but it’s turned out that way, and he was in town over the weekend to enjoy it.
Hutson’s 19-year-old son, Quinn Hutson, is a standout forward for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He’s having a great season so far, with 10 goals and 10 assists. He’s currently the top point producer for the Jacks and is 14th in the United States Hockey League scoring race.
[1]His parents and two younger brothers came to Michigan for the holiday last week to spend time with Quinn and his brother Lane, 17, who plays for the elite Team USA 18-under squad, which is based in Plymouth, Michigan.
Rob Hutson and his wife not only had the family Thanksgiving reunion they wanted, but had the extra fun of watching Quinn put on a show on the ice.
On Wednesday in Plymouth he scored two goals to lead the Jacks to a 5-0 win over the Team USA Under-17 squad (not Lane Hutson’s team). On Saturday in Muskegon, he collected a goal and three assists to help the Jacks beat Madison 5-4.
“It was awesome,” Rob Hutson said. “We watch every game (online), but it’s extra special when you are there live.”
Rob Hutson’s experience as a player in Muskegon was strictly part-time, but it lasted for four seasons.
Originally a draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, he bounced around the minor league hockey world for eight years before retiring – more or less – in 1999.
[2]He ended up moving to Holland, Michigan to manage an ice rink there, and willingly came out of retirement whenever the Fury needed an extra body in the lineup.
“I just showed up and played games when I could,” Rob Hutson said. “I did not practice with the team at all, but the coaches never had a problem with it, and the players never had a problem with it.
“In some environments that would have made the regular players mad, but those were great guys. I would make sure I played in at least six games so I was eligible for the playoffs, then I played regularly in the playoffs.”
Rob’s best Muskegon memories came in the 2001-2002 playoffs, when the Fury won the Colonial Cup in the old Colonial Hockey League.
Muskegon beat the Elmira Jackals in Game 6 of the championship series to clinch the cup. The victory was secured when Muskegon star Todd Robinson scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway in overtime at the former L.C. Walker Arena, now called Mercy Health Arena.
“The guys on that team were unbelievable, the coaches were unbelievable,” Rob Hutson said. “Muskegon is a hockey town. The fans are hard-core, exceptional down-to-earth people, and they have a ton of respect for the guys who go out on the ice and lay it all on the line. It was a very memorable experience for me, one of the best.”
Quinn had been born just a few months earlier in Grand Haven. He was actually West Michigan’s New Year’s baby in 2002, coming into the world about six minutes after midnight.
[3]Baby Quinn was part of the celebration when the Fury won the Colonial Cup, although he obviously has no memory of it.
“I saw a picture of when they won it, of me inside the cup,” Quinn said. “Hopefully I had clothes on.”
His dad chuckled at that memory.
“That was in the same locker room he’s currently in now, which is crazy!” he said.
Rob Hutson retired for good as an active player after one more season in Muskegon, then moved about the country managing various ice arenas and coaching youth hockey. His various hockey jobs have taken him to Chicago, St. Louis and now New Jersey.
He helped coach his oldest sons until they reached the age to leave home and start their junior hockey careers, in hopes of attaining college scholarships and being drafted by NHL teams.
Those goals have been partially reached – both Quinn and Lane will play for Boston University next season.
Quinn Hutson took an indirect route to Muskegon. He started the 2020-21 season in the British Columbia Hockey League in western Canada, where his dad grew up. But the league suspended the season due to COVID last November, and all the players became free agents available to junior teams in other leagues.
[4]Quinn ended up coming to Muskegon to play the rest of the season for the Lumberjacks. He finished with 16 goals and 24 assists in only 45 games, and told the team he would happily return this season.
“It just worked out – it was a great place to go at the right time,” Quinn said.
His dad couldn’t be happier.
“Jimmy McGroarty (the Lumberjacks assistant general manager) and I have been friends for years,” Rob Hutson said. “He heard about me having a conversation about Quinn going to the USHL or other leagues, and he was like ‘I’m not going to let him go anywhere else, we want him in Muskegon, if you will let him go there.’ I said absolutely. I want hockey to give my kids what it gave me, and Muskegon was definitely a big part of what I got out of hockey.”
Rob Hutson has been to town several times to visit and observe over the past two seasons, and he’s very pleased with the way his son and the other young players are handled in Muskegon.
“It’s one of the best franchises in the league,” Rob said. “The team owners have done a real good job of not cutting corners, and they have a huge commitment to helping the kids live out their dreams.”
Of course he’s biased, but Rob Hutson likes what he sees in Quinn’s hockey skill set, and believes he has the talent, drive and grit to go a long way in the sport.
“He has a wicked release (on his shot), and he has a deceptively hard shot,” Rob said. “He creates a lot of great opportunities by reading the plays. He’s been around hockey his whole life.
“He’s also a kid who’s not going to get pushed around on the ice. He’s a no-nonsense type of guy, and he has an edge to him. You don’t want to be on the other side of it.
“We have high goals for him, just like he has high goals for himself. You can never get complacent in hockey. You always want more. That’s what separates hockey players from everyone else.”
Both father and son believe there’s a chance they could both be involved in another hockey celebration in Muskegon next spring, if the Jacks can continue their recent surge and become a Clark Cup contender. Muskegon has won five of its last six games, with Quinn and linemates Joey Larson and Ben Strinden playing big roles offensively.
“In this league anybody can beat anybody, so I think we have a chance to win it all,” Quinn said. “Chicago is number one right now, and we’ve beaten them twice.”
“I think the roster moves (the Lumberjacks) made recently are a big part of it,” Rob Hutson said about the team’s hot streak. ‘I think the kids on the team get along real well together. They just need to get their confidence level up a bit.”
[5]