Jack Hughes’ iconic gold-medal-clinching moment during overtime became even more memorable as pictures showed the forward, draped in the American flag, beaming while missing a front tooth. Hughes lost one of his front teeth and damaged a few others during the third period when Team Canada’s Sam Bennett’s stick hit him in the face.
Hughes stayed on the ice with 6:34 left in regulation time. The Americans received a four-minute power play as Bennett was adjudged a double minor for sticking. After 3:11 of the power play, Hughes was sent to the penalty box for a high-sticking call on himself. The Americans played 49 seconds on the 4-on-4 before killing the rest of the Canadian power play.
The Canadians had multiple opportunities to win the game. Nathan MacKinnon missed an empty net, Macklin Celebrini had a few Grade A chances and captain Connor McDavid was stopped on the breakaway by Team USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
With 1:41 played in overtime, Hughes scored to send his bench into a frenzy. The play started when Hughes won the puck with a poke check on Canadian defenseman Cale Makar. Zach Werenski skated towards the goal and passed the puck back to Hughes, who slipped it under goaltender Jordan Binnington’s pads for the game-winning goal.
Several publications and photographers captured Hughes with a front tooth missing as he celebrated with his teammates and later received the gold medal. The New Jersey Devils forward, along with the rest of the team, was invited to the White House for a special luncheon on Tuesday and then attended the State of the Union Address at the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol.
Jack Hughes Remembers Exact Moment After Being Hit in the Face
The US men’s hockey team evolved into a band of brothers looking to win a gold medal for their country. Luckily for Jack Hughes, he had his actual older brother, Quinn Hughes, as his teammate. Quinn was on the ice when Jack lay on the ground following the hit to the face. He recalled Quinn’s immediate response during his appearance on TODAY on Feb. 24.
“It’s funny how things work out because the first guy closest to me when I’m laying on the ice is obviously my older brother, and he has the puck, and you can see it, he’s like, he’s looking at me to see what’s going on with my teeth,” Hughes said. “And I remember him coming up to me and being like, ‘It’s all good, man. It’s only chips. You’re going to be OK.'”
The Hughes brothers topped the Americans’ scoring charts. Quinn led with 8 points (one goal, seven assists) in the tournament, followed closely by Jack, who had seven points (four goals, three assists). Quinn Hughes was also named the best defenseman of the tournament.
