Jack Hughes says this phone call was "most surreal" after scoring the Golden Goal

New Jersey Devils star forward Jack Hughes became the biggest star in the NHL after he scored the overtime game-winning goal against Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He’s been on every talk and variety show, from Saturday Night Live to the Pat McAfee Show. Hughes has basically become the spokesperson for hockey since scoring the goal. 

Now, that hasn’t translated into success for the Devils. While Hughes has held his end of the bargain for his team across the Atlantic Ocean, putting up 19 points in 12 games since returning from Milan. That’s a 130-point pace. Hughes has had a hat trick and some multiple-point nights since his return. This is by far the best he’s looked since his hand injury that derailed the Devils’ season.

His celebrity has known no bounds, and it’s included levels of controversy, but one month since that magical moment, that negative press has died down exponentially. The hype surrounding Hughes has not. Ignoring specialty events and the Stadium Series, Hughes and the Devils’ regular-season game against the Detroit Red Wings on March 8th was the most-watched game on ESPN in five years. 

The hype around Hughes is amazing, and it should help the Devils attract attention and talent, but there was one moment when he realized things were about to change. It was the moment one particular celebrity reached out to him. This celebrity happened to play a very important figure to anyone who loves or represents USA Hockey. In a new interview with ESPN, Hughes reveals he got a call from Kurt Russel, who played 1980 Team USA coach (and former Devils coach) Herb Brooks.

We didn’t get much more out of the conversation about the Russell connection or what he said, but he did get into a few topics. The famous photo of Hughes, where he’s draped in the American flag with a toothless smile and beaming with joy? He apparently wasn’t a fan. 

He also discussed McAfee's $100,000 shot, the journey necessary to make it to Saturday Night Live on time, what it's like to have New York Rangers fans cheering for him, and the freak accident that cost him 18 games and knocked the season on its behind. It was a well-rounded interview, that included comments from agent Pat Brisson and Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe.

At the end, Kurt Russell remains a headline, even if Jack Hughes is the star.