New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes Challenges Hockey Hall of Fame Over Olympic Golden Goal Puck

Jack Hughes, the 24-year-old U.S. center for the NHL's New Jersey Devils, scored the overtime winning goal for the United States in the men's ice hockey gold medal game against Canada at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 22, 2026, at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy.[1][2] The victory marked the first U.S. men's Olympic hockey gold since the 1980 Lake Placid Games.[3]

Hughes expressed frustration that the puck from his goal is held by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, calling it "bulls---." "I'm trying to get it. … Why would they have that puck?" he told ESPN. He said he wants the puck for his father, a avid collector of his sons' memorabilia.

The puck was donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) after the game. Philip Pritchard, vice president of the resource center and curator for the Hockey Hall of Fame, told ESPN: "Unfortunately, in the easiest words, it was never Jack's puck to own. It's been donated to us now. For every artifact that's been donated, we have a paper trail and signed paperwork of where it's come from."

In Olympic tournaments, an on-ice official collects pucks and gear for memorabilia, delivering them to the IIHF for donation, unlike NHL games where players often keep such items. The Hall of Fame stated: "Items are formally transferred to the Hall through IIHF's established artifact donation process and added into our permanent collection."

Hall of Fame staff were present in Milan for the donation. The puck from Megan Keller's golden goal in the U.S. women's gold medal game three days earlier, on Feb. 19, 2026, is also in the collection.[1] Hughes said he plans to formally request the puck from the Hall, which has returned items to players in the past.