Jack Hughes is not happy with the Hockey Hall of Fame, and honestly? I don't blame him.
The New Jersey Devils star scored the overtime goal that won Team USA Olympic gold in Milan Cortina - America's first men's hockey gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980. That puck should be his. Instead, it's sitting in a display case in Toronto.
And Hughes isn't holding back his feelings about it.
"I'm trying to get it. Like, that's bulls--- that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion," Hughes told ESPN. "Why would they have that puck?"
That's a great question, Jack.
Here's what happened: Hughes scored at 1:41 of overtime against Canada's Jordan Binnington, delivering one of the most iconic moments in American hockey history. The puck was "immediately secured" by the International Ice Hockey Federation and sent to the Hall of Fame for "archival preservation."
But here's the thing - that puck belongs to the guy who scored the goal. It's his moment. His memory. His piece of history. Not something for tourists to gawk at behind glass.
Hughes told ESPN he didn't even realize the puck wasn't in his possession until a February 26 TNT interview. Imagine finding out weeks later that the most important puck of your life got confiscated like contraband at airport security.
What makes this even more personal? Hughes says he'd give the puck to his father, Jim Hughes, who serves as the family archivist, keeping track of memorabilia from all three of his NHL sons. That's not about ego or selling memorabilia - that's about family legacy.
The Hall of Fame also has the puck from 's golden goal for the U.S. women's team. So they're equal-opportunity puck collectors, I guess. But that doesn't make it right.
