Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Earlier this week, Jack Hughes made it very clear he was not happy about the Hockey Hall of Fame taking possession of the puck he netted to clinch a gold medal for Team USA at the Winter Olympics. However, he tried to do some damage control after Sidney Crosby commented on the situation that managed to spark a fair amount of drama.
Many NHL fans criticize the league for its inability to properly market its stars. However, it has historically waged an uphill battle in doing so due to players who have a reputation for being painfully boring thanks in no small part to the media training that’s programmed them to deliver the most generic answers possible while trying to avoid creating any controversies that could be viewed as a “distraction.”
They have extra incentive to avoid doing so when you consider fans and the media are more than happy to latch onto any comments that do have the potential to create the drama they crave, and we recently got some thanks to Jack Hughes and his beef with the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The puck that Hughes fired passed Jordan Binnington to lift the United States past Canada in the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics is currently on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Devils center voiced his displeasure with that development while saying he’d prefer to have it in his possession, but he entered the spin zone after getting a stern rebuke from the Toronto institution and catching a little bit of shade from a Penguins legend who will be enshrined there after he hangs up his skates.
Jack Hughes tried to downplay his comments about the puck that ended up in the Hockey Hall of Fame after getting some blowback
Hughes and the rest of the guys who represented the United States at the Winter Olympics were too busy celebrating America’s first gold medal in 46 years to prioritize the retrieval of the puck that was ultimately scooped up by an International Ice Hockey Federation official before it was officially transferred to the care of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
On Tuesday, the former first overall pick didn’t mince words while addressing that development, saying it was “bulls—t” he wasn’t allowed to keep it himself and noting he’d give it to his dad if he had the opportunity.
On Wednesday, a representative for the Hall of Fame fired back while slamming the door on a potential transfer of the puck. Sideny Crosby, who scored the golden goal that forced America to settle for silver in 2010, also chimed in while taking the opposite stance, telling The Athletic:
“I didn’t even think about it that way, to be honest with you. I was just happy that I scored the goal. I was happy that the puck was going to the Hall of Fame. I didn’t even think about it that way.”
It’s unclear if Hughes was privy to that comment, but he backed down from his initial stance while telling the same outlet he felt the reaction to his initial comment was overblown after the Devils beat the Rangers on Wednesday night, saying:
“It’s like the most special place in hockey. I’m honored that it’s there, but obviously I think things were taken crazy. That’s the way I felt. I didn’t know where the puck was. It is what it is.”
It seems like that should put the matter to rest unless Hughes is trying to lure the Hall of Fame into a false sense of security before attempting to stage a heist with his brothers in the offseason.