Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images/Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Devils star Jack Hughes next to an ESPN microphone
Jack Hughes was forced to sit out for more than a month last season after falling victim to a freak accident at a team dinner. ESPN reporter AJ Mleczko referenced that setback while conducting an interview during the Devils’ season opener, and things took an awkward turn after her attempt at a joke fell very, very flat.
In 2019, the Devils scooped up Jack Hughes with the top pick in the NHL Draft. He has managed to live up to the hype that comes with going first overall, as the three-time All-Star quickly emerged as one of their best players while cementing himself as an American hockey legend with a game-winning goal to clinch the gold medal against Canada at the 2026 Olympics.
The forward has been no stranger to injury since entering the league, and his heroics in Italy came a couple of months after he returned from a hand injury he suffered after cutting his hand on a glass that broke at a team dinner that the Devils held ahead of a game in Chicago last November.
Hughes ultimately missed 18 games after undergoing surgery, and thankfully entered the 2026-27 season with a clean bill of health. He kicked it off when New Jersey hosted the Flyers on Thursday night during a game where he was less than thrilled with what a reporter had to say during an in-game interview.
Things got awkward after ESPN reporter AJ Mleczko cracked a joke about Jack Hughes’ hand injury
Most television networks insist on conducting in-game interviews with players and coaches that rarely lead to any valuable insight, and that’s especially true in the NHL, a league where the guys on the ice are notorious for delivering the most generic answers possible when speaking with the media.
On Thursday, Hughes was tapped to chat with ESPN’s AJ Mleczko after his team finished the first period down 1-0 to Philadelphia, and she attempted to make light of the injury that sidelined him for more than a month last season by suggesting he should be “wrapped in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery.”
It was a fairly odd comment (and one that didn’t really make any sense when you consider a glass, not a knife, was responsible for the injury in question). Hughes made it pretty clear he wasn’t a fan, saying, “I mean, I think that’s a weird joke mid-game” before skating away.
Welp that was awkward pic.twitter.com/surGRvDYtu
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) October 1, 2026
Mleczko was understandably flustered by the response, but based on the reactions to the clip, most fans seemed to think Hughes was at fault for firing back like he did instead of leaning into the bit.
He was ultimately an overtime hero once again, as he was the man who netted the goal that gave the Devils the 3-2 victory to open the season with a win.