Jack Hughes lost teeth from a high-stick to the mouth before his Olympic gold-winning goal

Boston Bruins

“More people are going to be looking at his medal than his teeth.”

By Associated Press

February 22, 2026 | 1:59 PM

1 minute to read

MILAN (AP) — Jack Hughes lost some teeth before he won Olympic gold for the United States.

The forward who put the puck in the net in overtime to give the Americans a 2-1 victory over Canada in the men’s hockey final Sunday did so with a bloody mouth and less of a bite than he began the game with. That’s because Hughes was spittin’ chiclets after taking a stick to the mouth from Sam Bennett in the third period.

“More people are going to be looking at his medal,” said Matt Boldy, who scored the other U.S. goal, “than his teeth.”

The 24-year-old Hughes is a forward for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. He scored past Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington after a little more than 1 1/2 minutes of extra time.

Hughes’ brother, Quinn, is a defenseman for the Americans, who won the country’s first gold in men’s hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team that upset the heavily favored Soviet Union at Lake Placid.