Jack Hughes’ victory lap made its way back to New Jersey.
And he made clear he’s excited for both United States hockey teams and their 2026 Olympic accomplishments.
Hughes, in his NHL return on Wednesday night, gave a speech to a raucous Prudential Center crowd before the Devils’ game against the Sabres.
During his words to the crowd from center ice, Hughes, the golden-goal scorer against Canada on Sunday, said he was “proud” for both the men’s and women’s teams, which both claimed gold after thrilling overtime victories in Italy.
“I’m so proud and I’m so happy that the men’s and women’s USA hockey teams brought the gold medals back,” Hughes said, drawing a huge ovation. “You guys are making me emotional, but I’m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils. And I’m so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey — so proud. From the bottom of my heart, all of my teammates, USA teammates, we just want to thank you guys for all the love and support. We feel it.”
The American hockey teams, already in plenty of spotlight, got more attention on Sunday when President Donald Trump called the men’s team after their gold medal victory over Canada to invite them to Tuesday’s State of the Union address. He joked that he would also have to invite the U.S. women’s team, otherwise “I believe I probably would be impeached,” leading to some laughs from the American men in the locker room.
After the men faced some backlash, Hughes spoke to ESPN about how he and his squad were “tight” with the women’s team.
“Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Olympic Village, I think we are so tight with their group,” Hughes aid. “After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. in the morning with them. We go from there, pack our bags and we’re on the bus. People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them. The same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”
Hilary Knight, the captain of the women’s team who scored a dramatic tying goal in the gold medal game, called Trump’s joke “distasteful” during an appearance on “SportsCenter” on Wednesday. She did, however, add that the men were put in a tough spot and that there is a bond between the two squads.
“I think there’s a genuine level of support there and respect,” she said. “I think that’s being overshadowed by a quick lapse. I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowed that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on.”
Ellen Hughes, the mother of both Jack and Quinn Hughes, has a tie with both squads as a former USA player and as a consultant to the women’s team that just won gold. During a “Today” show hit this week when asked about the joke, she put the focus back on the sport and the country at large.
“At the end of the day, it’s just about the country…and the moment that he players these players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country,”she said. “People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all both the men’s team and the women’s team care about.”