Hockey Hall responds to Jack Hughes about golden puck

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The Hockey Hall of Fame has responded to Jack Hughes.

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The New Jersey Devils centre, who scored the winning goal in overtime to secure the gold medal for Team USA in men’s Olympic hockey in Italy last month, was upset the puck wasn’t given to him. Instead, it was sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

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Earlier this week, Hughes told ESPN in an exclusive interview that he was “trying to get it” back.

“Like, that’s bulls— that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion,” he told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “Why would they have that puck?”

The puck is there as part of a new display celebrating the double gold medal performance by the U.S. men and women.

“Unfortunately, in the easiest words, it was never Jack’s puck to own,” Philip Pritchard, vice-president of the resource centre and curator for the Hockey Hall of Fame, told ESPN on Wednesday.

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“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 a statement to the Toronto Sun, the hall said it “maintains a longstanding and collaborative relationship with the International Ice Hockey Federation” to acquire pucks and other historic artifacts.

“Items are formally transferred to the Hall through IIHF’s established artifact donation process and added into our permanent collection,” a hall spokesperson said.

“These artifacts are preserved, exhibited and shared with fans worldwide through our museum and international outreach programs, ensuring that defining Olympic and World Championship moments are preserved, and remain accessible to the global hockey community.”

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Plenty of other historic and prominent hockey artifacts are located at the hall as well.

“I don’t see why Megan Keller (who scored the winner for the women’s team) or I shouldn’t have those pucks,” Hughes told ESPN.

Hughes said he’d like to give the puck to his dad.

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“I know he’d just love, love having it,” he said. Father Jim Hughes was a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs for years, so Hughes, and his two other NHL brothers Quinn and Luke, spent part of their childhood in Etobicoke.

“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.”

Puck nowhere to be found at first

The puck’s whereabouts had caused some concern last month when Hughes told TNT during an NHL post-game show that he had “no idea where that puck went. I know who doesn’t have it is me. I sure as hell don’t have it.”

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That was before Sportico reported the valuable piece of vulcanized rubber — some reports have its worth pegged north of $1 million on the auction block — had been sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame, citing confirmation from the IIHF.

And that’s not the only historic puck being housed on Yonge St.

The hockey hall has all three that were used to score goals in the men’s gold-medal game and the one that beat Canada’s Ann-Renee Desbiens in the women’s final when Keller scored her overtime winner.

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Hall of fame exhibit opened recently

The women’s golden goal was in fact delivered to its new home recently by Team USA forward Alex Carpenter as the hockey hall unveiled a “limited-time” Olympic ’26 Exhibit featuring game-worn jerseys, gloves and sticks, including artifacts from team captains Sidney Crosby and Hilary Knight.

“The Olympic ’26 display will help ensure that these unforgettable Olympic moments are preserved for our guests from around the world to experience,” Hockey Hall of Fame president and CEO Jamie Dinsmore said in a news release issued Monday to announce the exhibit’s opening.

— With files from Jordan Ercit

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