Jack Hughes gave American hockey fans a moment they'll never forget. When he beat Jordan Binnington in overtime, he secured Team USA’s first Olympic gold medal in 46 years. The Golden Goal made Hughes an instant star and one of the biggest names in the sport.
Honestly, it’s probably the reason why he was given a Hart Trophy vote last week.
Unfortunately, the conversation following that historic moment turned pretty quickly. First of all, there was a political conversation, but that part is over. The conversation that’s still going on is about Hughes’s puck. Well, apparently, not Hughes’s puck.
The controversy started when the IIHF took possession of the game-winning puck after Team USA's victory. The puck eventually found its way to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, along with the puck from the women’s game that also led to a USA gold medal. Hughes publicly questioned why he wasn't the one holding onto a piece of history.
The Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto, and this is a part of American sports history.
Now, one of the greatest players in hockey history has weighed in on the matter. And this player just happens to be Canadian.
During a recent appearance on Locker 19, Wayne Gretzky revealed that he reached out directly to Hughes after hearing the criticism surrounding the situation. Gretzky made it clear he believed the Devils' superstar was completely justified in speaking up.
"So, I texted him, and I said, 'I don't think you said anything wrong. It's your puck"Wayne Gretzky on the Locker 19 podcast
Gretzky explained that Hughes' disagreement wasn't really with the Hockey Hall of Fame, which operates largely through loaned memorabilia. Instead, he pointed toward the IIHF as the organization responsible for determining ownership under tournament rules.
Jack Hughes has a very powerful ally in his pursuit of the Golden Goal puck
Even so, Gretzky's stance remained simple. Hughes scored the goal. Hughes created the memory. Hughes deserves a claim to the puck.
Gretzky knows the feeling. He has given a ton of his personal history to the Hall, but claims that everything they have is on "loan." Gretzky even played at the 1998 Winter Olympics, where he had his first chance to wear the Canadian colors for the first time on an Olympic stage.
Now, Gretzky didn't score a golden goal, but he did do some great things. Sounds like he kept some of the mementos that come with it.
Gretzky seems to think that Hughes will eventually get his way. He says the Hall of Fame has been open to working with players in the past. After the shine of the puck's newness wears off, we can see them returning the puck to the Hughes family, where he'll apparantly keep it at his parent's house in Michigan.
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