This Jack Hughes picture will become one of the best hockey photos of all time

The New Jersey Devils were sending seven players to the Olympics, meaning they had a high likelihood that at least one of them would be playing in the gold medal game. The most likely name to make the top spot was Jack Hughes. He was playing for Team USA, the team with the second-best odds in the tournament. The Devils didn’t have representation on Team Canada since Dougie Hamilton and Dawson Mercer failed to make the star-studded roster. 

Hughes not only made Team USA and played in the gold medal game, but he also scored the most important goal for the country in decades. He scored the Golden Goal, an overtime game-winner that secured the gold medal for the Americans. 

This is obviously the biggest goal of Jack Hughes’ career, but it’s one of the biggest goals in hockey history. There are only so many Golden Goals in the history of the Olympics, and the fact that both the men’s and women’s U.S. teams both won in overtime to secure gold medals over Canada makes it even better. 

We’ve seen so many great moments leading up to the goal, and the moments after are amazing. Bringing out Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey and adding his family to the celebration brought tears to our eyes. The looks on the faces of the Canadian players when they got their silver medals will live in our heads for a long time. However, it was one picture of Jack Hughes that became the iconic image of these Games. 

This picture of Jack Hughes tells the entire story of a gold medal win

This picture has everything. It has Hughes’s pure, unfiltered joy. The smile is iconic, and it’s made even better because Hughes has broken teeth and just enough blood that it isn’t nasty. He has a literal battle scar fighting for his country. That toothless smile is going to become a battle cry for so many wearing the red, white, and blue. 

Then, there’s the American flag draped over his shoulders. This is the type of image that people get tattooed on their bodies. It’s incredible. We just want to stare at the image for hours. 

Hughes is an American icon. That was secured in stone today. Well, actually, it was secured in gold. The Devils aren’t getting the same Jack Hughes they sent to Milan. He will have an even bigger chip on his shoulder, and you can see that in this picture.