This is hockey culture in a nutshell.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is refusing to return the puck from Jack Hughes' 'golden goal' that won a major tournament, citing that it was never Hughes' property to own and has proper documentation of its donation. Sidney Crosby's reaction to the controversy was exactly what you'd expect from hockey's gentleman - a simple chuckle, as shown in photos circulating on social media.

"Unfortunately, in the easiest words, it was never Jack's puck to own," Philip Pritchard, vice president of the resource center and curator for the Hockey Hall of Fame, told ESPN. "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."

So here's the situation. Hughes scored what's being called a "golden goal" - presumably a tournament-winning overtime goal or similarly historic moment. The puck ends up at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Now Hughes wants it back. The Hall says "sorry kid, paperwork says it's ours."

There's a bigger question here about who owns these moments - the player who created them or the institution that preserves history for fans.

I lean toward the players on this one. Hughes scored that goal. He lived that moment. That puck represents one of the biggest achievements of his career. And some bureaucrat is telling him "we have the paperwork" so he can't have it? Come on.

Look, I understand the Hockey Hall of Fame's perspective. They collect and preserve hockey history. They have thousands of artifacts, and if they started returning everything to players who wanted their stuff back, the museum would be empty. They need documentation and processes.