Jack Hughes wants gold medal-winning puck from 2026 Olympics; Hockey Hall of Fame says it was never his to own
Hughes wants his piece of history, but the Hall of Fame isn't too keen on giving it up
The puck that Jack Hughes ripped past Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington in the Olympic gold medal game now sits on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, but the American legend wants it sitting on the mantle at his family home. Hughes has expressed his desire to get the puck back, but it doesn't sound like that will happen anytime soon.
In overtime of the Olympic final, Hughes fired a shot past Binnington to give Team USA its first gold-medal win since 1980. In the aftermath of the on-ice celebration, the International Ice Hockey Federation retrieved the puck and donated it to the Hockey Hall of Fame, along with the puck from Megan Keller's golden goal for the U.S. women's team.
Speaking to ESPN, Hughes was frustrated with the fact that he wasn't able to keep the puck from his iconic golden goal, and he expressed that rather bluntly.
"I'm trying to get it. Like, that's bullshit that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion. Why would they have that puck?" Hughes told ESPN. "I don't see why Megan Keller or I shouldn't have those pucks."
Hughes clarified that he doesn't want the puck for himself. Instead, he would give it to his father, who acts as somewhat of a historian for Jack and his two NHL brothers, Quinn and Luke.
"I wouldn't even want it for myself," Hughes said. "I'd want it for my dad. I know he'd just love, love having it. When I look back in time in my career, I don't collect too many things for myself, but my dad's a monster collector for the three of us. I know he would have a special place for it."
Despite his public pleas for the puck, Hughes has not petitioned the Hockey Hall of Fame in hopes of getting it from the institution.
ESPN reached out to the Hockey Hall of Fame about Hughes' comments, and vice president Philip Pritchard responded by saying that the puck never belonged to Hughes.
"Unfortunately, in the easiest words, it was never Jack's puck to own," Pritchard 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."
Pritchard added that the Hall of Fame tries to "take the emotion out of it" when acquiring items for display. He said the mission of the Hockey Hall of Fame is to preserve history that people will be able to enjoy for generations.
"That's why the Hockey Hall of Fame museum exists as an institution: We're preserving the game of the past, present and the future," Pritchard said.
The Hockey Hall of Fame has acquired apparel and equipment from iconic moments throughout hockey history, but when that history occurs in NHL games, the institution typically has to request a donation from the player. When it comes to international play, the IIHF does the leg work when it comes to preserving and collecting historical artifacts before donating them to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
For the time being, the puck from the goal that made Hughes and American sports legend will remain in Toronto.
