Hughes ‘honored’ Olympic gold medal-winning puck is at Hall of Fame
Philip Pritchard, the Hall of Fame’s curator, spoke about the situation with ESPN on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, in the easiest words, it was never Jack’s puck to own,” he said. “It’s been donated to us now. For every artifact that’s been donated, we have a paper trail and signed paperwork of where it’s come from.”
Hughes said he won’t be calling the Hall of Fame anytime soon.
“Dude, I’ve been playing hockey, right,” he said. “That’s where my head is at.”
The Hall acquired the puck almost immediately following the tournament. It was a natural addition since Hughes delivered the most defining goal of the event, and the Hall has long made it a priority of chronicling the milestones of the sport’s rising stars.
The puck sits beneath pristine glass, accompanied by digital highlights looping overhead. It is, in every way, treated as a piece of hockey history.
Team USA’s triumph marked the first time the country won gold at the Olympics since the “Miracle on Ice” team did so in 1980.
