Like many Americans, New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes was overcome with emotion when his brother scored one of the biggest goals in the country's history on Sunday in Milan.
Jack Hughes took a pass from Columbus Blue Jackets D-man Zach Werenski early into 3-on-3 overtime against Team Canada in the gold medal game at Santagiulia Arena, beating goaltender Jordan Binnington to give USA a first gold medal since 1980 in Lake Placid — and sending the United States into a frenzy.
“I was just in shock,” Hughes told Devils team reporter Amanda Stein from Newark, NJ on Sunday. “I was jumping up and down and everyone was celebrating. I'm just so happy and proud of those guys. It's such a great accomplishment. I think we're all still in shock that they won it in that fashion.”
The 22-year-old continued: “Everyone was jumping up and down, really. The only reason the [Canada-born players] were happy was because it was Jack. It's a weird thing when we're all watching the game; they're rooting for Canada, the American guys for the U.S. Then your teammate scores to win it. It's just such a proud moment for me watching both my brothers win a gold medal and my mom (Ellen Hughes) won a gold medal with the women's Olympic team (as a player development consultant), so we just kind of cleaned up.
“That's a huge accomplishment for our family, but more importantly, for the country. Bringing home the gold for the first time in 46 years is such an honor. I'm really happy for all of those players on that team.”
Jack, Quinn Hughes were excellent for Team USA in Olympics
The United States went undefeated in the tournament, having no trouble beating Latvia, Denmark and Germany in the preliminary round. They defeated Sweden in a nail-biting overtime quarterfinal, crushed Slovakia in the semis, and beat Canada 2-1 in the gold medal game despite being heavily outplayed.
After struggling in the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, Hughes was a key factor for his country this time around. The 24-year-old tied Auston Matthews for the scoring lead among American forwards, potting four goals and adding three assists.
It was also a terrific tourney for Minnesota Wild forward Quinn Hughes — the oldest of the three brothers — who led Team USA with eight points in six games.
It was even more special for Jack considering he lost multiple teeth after taking a high stick to the face from Canada's Sam Bennett in the third period. Canada killed that penalty, and after Hughes took an infraction of his own late in regulation, things looked precarious.
But USA managed to kill off Hughes' penalty, and it wasn't long after that that he became an American hero, tallying probably the most impactful goal he will ever score.
“I couldn't be more proud of my brothers and my family,” Luke Hughes said, per Stein. “I know they're going to be celebrating. I just got off the phone with Quinn and Jack, and they're pretty fired up. Jack's definitely not as pretty, or as good-looking as he was before, but I think he'll take that every day of the week.”
Jack and Luke will reunite later this week when the former returns to New Jersey; the Devils return to game action against the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
