New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, who scored in overtime during Team USA's gold medal victory over Canada in the men's ice hockey final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, has clarified comments about the puck from that goal being on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Hughes, a 24-year-old American forward born in Orlando, Florida, and the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Devils,[1] initially expressed disappointment in an ESPN interview upon learning the puck had been donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame by the International Ice Hockey Federation.
"I'm trying to get it. Like, that's bulls--- that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion. Why would they have that puck?" Hughes said. He added that he would want the puck for his father, a collector of memorabilia for his three sons, rather than for himself.
Philip Pritchard, vice president of the resource center and curator at the Hockey Hall of Fame,[2] responded to ESPN that the puck "was never Jack’s puck to own."
The U.S. men's team won gold on February 22, 2026, at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy.[3] Hughes returned to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for a Devils game on February 25, 2026, where fans cheered his Olympic achievement.[4]
Later, Hughes told reporters he was honored the puck is at the Hockey Hall of Fame, describing it as "the most special place in hockey," and noted his initial remarks had been taken out of context since he was unaware of the puck's location.
Team USA also won gold in women's ice hockey, with Megan Keller scoring the overtime winner against Canada, and in Paralympic sled hockey, defeating Canada in the final—the first time the U.S. swept all three in the same Olympic year.
Sources
- Wikipedia. "Jack Hughes (ice hockey)." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hughes_(ice_hockey)
- Hockey Hall of Fame. Official website. Accessed October 2024. https://www.hhof.com/
- Wikipedia. "2026 Winter Olympics." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Winter_Olympics
- Prudential Center / New Jersey Devils. Official NHL player page for Jack Hughes. Accessed October 2024. https://www.nhl.com/devils/player/jack-hughes-8480020
