Jack Hughes questions Hockey Hall of Fame's possession of puck from U.S. Olympic men's hockey golden goal

Jack Hughes, a forward for the NHL's New Jersey Devils and a key player for USA Hockey,^[1] scored the overtime game-winning goal for the United States in the men's ice hockey gold medal game at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The goal secured the first U.S. gold medal in the event since the 1980 Lake Placid Games.^[2]

Hughes expressed frustration that the puck from the goal is held by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, stating he would need to travel there to see it. "I'm trying to get it. … Why would they have that puck?" Hughes told ESPN. He described the Hall's possession as "bulls---."

The puck was donated to the Hockey Hall of Fame by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) following the game at Milano Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy.^[3] Philip Pritchard, vice president of the resource center and curator for the Hockey Hall of Fame, responded: "Unfortunately, in the easiest words, it was never Jack's puck to own. 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."

In Olympic tournaments, an on-ice official typically collects pucks from significant moments for identification and delivery to the IIHF, which then donates them through an established process. The Hall of Fame stated: "Items are formally transferred to the Hall through IIHF's established artifact donation process and added into our permanent collection."

Hughes indicated he wants the puck for his father, a avid collector of his sons' memorabilia, rather than for himself. He plans to formally contact the Hall of Fame, which has returned items to players in the past. The Hall also holds the puck from Megan Keller's golden goal in the women's final three days earlier.