A.J. Mleczko made a joke that cut Jack Hughes a little too deep, causing an awkward moment in the middle of Thursday’s Devils season opener against the Flyers.
Speaking with the ESPN analyst at the start of the first intermission, Hughes did not seem to like a humorous comment that Mleczko made referencing the freak accident that happened during a team dinner last year that forced him to undergo surgery and miss time.
“Well, it’s great to see you healthy. Let’s wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year. That sound good?” she asked, clearly trying to joke around with the American hockey star.
But Hughes was not in the joking mood and pushed back on the attempted quip.
“I mean, I think that’s a weird joke mid-game,” he said before skating away.
It could be understandable why Hughes wasn’t in a joking mood at that moment after a first period that saw the Devils trailing the Flyers, who had been shellacked 7-0 by the Penguins in their season opener the previous night.
The injury may still be a sore subject for Hughes, who ended up missing 18 games during the 2025-26 season.
Reports indicated that Hughes suffered the injury that required finger surgery during a team dinner that involved him getting cut by glass.
At the time, Hughes was off to a hot start, scoring 10 goals and 20 points through his first 17 games.
Following the comment and Hughes’ reaction on Thursday night, Mleczko tried to transition away from the interview.
“No sense of humor here in a big game, but I appreciate his time and he had a good start here this season,” she said.
Hughes became a national hero earlier this year when he scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada to secure the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.
And he became a Devils hero on Thursday night when he scored the game-winning goal 3:23 into overtime to lift New Jersey to a 3-2 win over the Flyers in the season opener.
Hughes tapped in the winner after receiving a pass from Jesper Bratt.
