Jack Hughes celebrates Olympic golden goal, praises Team USA in Devils return
Hughes was given a microphone to say a few words on the ice, and after collecting his thoughts, he reflected on how happy he was that “the men’s and women’s USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America.”
He also spoke of how proud he is to represent the Devils and the “great state of New Jersey.”
“I really do love living in New Jersey, playing in New Jersey,” Hughes said after the game. “I just feel like they accepted me so deeply and I feel like I’m their guy. Every time I drive in for these games, I see people walking at 4:30 p.m. with Hughes jerseys on and I roll my window and scream at them — they love that.”
Hughes’ whirlwind media tour followed the gold medal game, including a visit Tuesday to the White House with his teammates, followed by their appearance at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in celebration of their triumph.
Hughes and his brother, Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, led the U.S. team onto the balcony of the House of Representatives during the State of the Union, flashing their gold medals to chants of “USA” and a standing ovation lasting about two minutes.
“You’ve got to remember, we’re just hockey players,” Jack said. “We did our job. We went over to the Olympics to win a gold medal and that’s what we did. So, I’ve had the best time of my life, celebrating with my teammates that we accomplished our goal. We’re so proud to be back in the U.S. and celebrating our gold medal and do it with our teammates. That’s the best part.”
