Jack Hughes after scoring the winning goal for the U. S. in Olympic men’s hockey. (olympics. com image)
When he scored the overtime goal that dashed Canada’s hopes for an Olympic hockey gold on Sunday, he likely remembered all the tough times in his hometown of Mississauga.
But maybe not.
No one can fault Jack Hughes for focusing on where he was born and celebrating by wrapping himself in the stars and stripes, skating around the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena after his team secured a gold medal with a 2-1 win. After all, it had been 46 years since the U. S. men’s hockey team last took home gold at the Olympics.
Still, the 24-year-old center for the New Jersey Devils has recognized that playing with the Mississauga Rebels in the Greater Toronto Hockey League and winning the Ontario Hockey Federation peewee AAA championship helped him develop his game.
Born in Florida, his family relocated to Canada when Jack was young after his dad became director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For a while, he attended Iona Catholic Secondary School in Clarkson, and along with his two brothers who also play hockey, they often skated on rinks made possible by community volunteers in their Mississauga neighborhood.
During his time with both the Rebels and AAA Toronto Marlboros, he gained local fame and was drafted by the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League. Instead of joining them, he moved to Michigan to join the U. S. National Team Development Program, where he refined his skills that ultimately made him a top draft pick. His brothers Quinn (Minnesota Wild) and Luke (Devils) also play in the NHL and were first-round picks as well.
In seven seasons in the NHL so far, Hughes has netted 153 goals and tallied 387 points across 404 games.
He was selected for America’s Olympic team back in early January and told nhl. com that representing his country was “a dream come true.”
This dream fully came alive at 1:41 into overtime when he scored during three-on-three play despite losing two teeth from a high stick earlier in that same match.
“They got great dentists back home (in Jersey),” he shared with reporters post-game. “They are going to fix me right up.”
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