After hearing the words of confirmation from Jack Hughes on Wednesday night, New Jersey Devils fans have certainly taken a lot of comfort in the franchise forward's future with the organization.
Hughes went with Team USA to Milan, Italy with one goal. To win the gold medal. Little did he know that his goal would be to seal the deal. However, Team USA felt the gold was theirs.
“Obviously we had a lot of confidence in that locker room,” Hughes said. There were a lot of people like alphas in a room, you know? It's the same with Canada, but there are a lot of big dogs in the room, a lot of guys who believe in themselves, and believe in the group. I think for our team, it didn't matter who got it, we were just so happy that we got it done. And there was so much confidence in that room that we were going to move forward, and we did.”
Hughes scored the golden goal in overtime to upset Canada and win the gold medal for the United States for the first time since 1980.
The party was going on from there. Team USA arrived in Miami, Florida to celebrate and then traveled to the White House, accepting an invitation from United States President Donald Trump.
"Obviously, it's been some of the best three days of my life," Hughes said. “I had a lot of fun with that group of guys, and I'm sure everyone on the team is probably wishing it was still going on, but it's good to get back into my routine and get back to work here.”
After the White House cameo, Hughes headed back to New Jersey for the Devils' tilt against the Buffalo Sabers when the NHL schedule resumes on Wednesday.
His legs weren't right yet, but as the game progressed, he started looking better and better.
"He had a lot of short shifts early on and he's not a short shift guy," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "If he's giving you short shifts, you know he's not feeling it early. But I felt as the game went on, he was increasing his shifts. He wants to be there and you almost have to take him off. [the ice] Because he wants to bring change.
"All things considered, I thought he gave us a lot."
The Devils' usual struggles continued on Wednesday. The scoring problems continued despite shot totals and they lost their first game to the Sabres, 2–1. At this point, New Jersey's season is almost over.
Combine this with the idea that the Devils failed to add the very available Quinn Hughes – Jack's older brother and Team USA teammate – earlier this year and many began to worry that the Devils could lose their franchise face at some point.
This extended to Jack's pre- and post-game speeches. Before and after the game, Hughes expressed his love for New Jersey amid questions about his big moment in Milan, which will forever be etched in USA Hockey history.
"I really love living in New Jersey and playing in New Jersey. For some reason, when I got drafted, obviously I was their first overall pick, and I'm an American kid, but I feel like they've accepted me so deeply. I feel like, I'm their guy, you know? I'm their guy. I come to these games, and every time I drive by, I just think about that when I see people walking by. [around the Prudential Center] With a Hughes jersey at 4:30. I'm opening my window and yelling at them. They like it, you know?
"But just to represent New Jersey, to represent our fans, like I'm very proud to be a Devil. I'm very proud to play for the Blitzer family, the Harris family, the Fitzgeralds. These guys, it means a lot to me, so to represent them through all of this... just... New Jersey means a lot to me."
See, the thing is this. Jack could ask questions about the Olympics and tell it all about himself and how big this moment was to him. Instead, he placed all the blame on Team USA, the United States Hockey Development Program, and the Devils for helping them get to this point.
He didn't need to profess his love for New Jersey. He didn't need to talk about ownership, or the highly scrutinized Devils GM.
Still, despite public admissions earlier this year that Jack wanted to play with Quinn in addition to younger brother Luke Hughes, Jack made sure the Devils and their faithful knew he held them close.
He shouldn't have done this.
So, Jack went to the 2026 Winter Olympics and came back an accomplished man. It's a moment he and Team USA will never forget. However, Jack made it clear that he has the same ambitions for himself in New Jersey. Except he's not chasing gold in New Jersey. He is looking for a silver medal in the form of a Stanley Cup.
Maybe...after all, the New Jersey speculation about Quinn isn't over.
