Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils has a recent history of bad injury luck. It isn't all his fault, but there has been a tough stretch of trouble in that regard. Heading into the Olympics, he was dealing with an undisclosed injury, but he was good enough to start. That drew criticism from the masses.
Well, during the Olympics silenced all of his doubters with his play on the ice. His injury made him questionable going in, but he was incredible right off the hop.
On Sunday, in the Gold Medal Game, Jack Hughes scored the biggest goal of his life, the Golden Goal. It was an overtime game tied at one against Canada, and Hughes came through.
This wasn't just a goal that Jack Hughes took advantage of the extra ice, either. It started with him making a great defensive play on Connor McDavid. Then he poke checked a puck away from Cale Makar, allowing Zach Werenski to set him up with a lane to the net. He didn't miss with his shot.
This type of goal will change the way that the hockey world views Jack Hughes forever. He is still working to become an annual 100-point scorer in the NHL, and being better about avoiding injuries will help that, but he is now a player who was clutch enough to score a Golden Goal.
Jack Hughes is a special talent. He's been an elite prospect-turned-high-end NHL player for a long time. Through 404 NHL games with the Devils, he has 153 goals and 234 assists for 387 points. Eventually, he will be a point-per-game player for his total career. Some elite play had to make up for his teenage years, when he was still developing.
In six total Olympic games, Hughes scored four goals and had three assists for seven points. These numbers, especially knowing one of them is the Golden Goal, played a big role in Team USA getting over the hump.
Jack Hughes changed his legacy with one goal
Along the way, Jack looked as motivated as a player can be to win. Sometimes, that's half the battle of being a great athlete. Whether it was playing with his brother Quinn, representing his club and country, or proving detractors wrong, he clearly had an edge to his game in Milano Cortina.
Now, Jack Hughes has a wonderful opportunity to build on a great resume. Elite NHL production and an Olympic Gold Medal at 24 years old is nothing to ignore. If he can find a long stretch of consistent health coming up, he will gain momentum as one of the best in the world.
The New Jersey Devils are 28-27-2. They lost three games in regulation heading into the break. With 11 points separating them from a playoff spot and only 25 games left, it is not a likely postseason run. However, Hughes can ride this momentum into the off-season by playing well.
In doing so, he would be ready to lead this team into 2026-27 with a chance to bounce back. There is a baseline of talent in New Jersey, led by Hughes, and now he has a career moment that can allow him to grow as a leader and player. At this point, nobody can ever doubt Hughes again.