Jack Hughes's overtime goal to win Olympic gold is hockey history, maybe the single most important physical object in American hockey history. The Hughes puck is a pure distillation, the sudden-death difference between defeat and world-champ status in one small, black disc of vulcanized rubber and entrance-fee bait.
If the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony was a love letter to Italian heritage, the final day was a thunderous operatic finale, a crescendo of clashing sticks, soaring amplitude and the bittersweet tears of legends taking their final bows. As the sun dipped behind the peaks of the Dolomites for the last time this fortnight, the Olympic flame did not just flicker out it was passed from the high-fashion streets of Milan to the ancient stones of Verona.
Call it the Marvel in Milan. Listen, they probably outplayed us a little bit tonight, said Hughes, the 24-year-old center for NHL's New Jersey Devils. Our goalie stood on his head, though. And then in overtime we both have skill players. Anything can happen. We're just so proud to win for our country. To break the golden drought with this group of guys, and for us to win gold here at the Olympics, is just an unbelievable moment.
Hughes has been injured a lot but it seems to be the same injuries, mainly upper-body and shoulder injuries. As a hockey player, being unable to use his stick is a major issue. With these injuries, Hughes has yet to play a full 82 games going into this seventh NHL season. Most of his injuries have been NHL related, but he has had some odd injuries, including his latest one that saw him slice his hand at a team function. Hughes has played 385 out of a possible 574 games. While he has missed a lot of time he has been productive when he has played, accumulating 151 goals and 220 assists for 371 points.
The 27-year-old has all the requisite hardware needed for the Hall of Fame (except a Stanley Cup) and has consistently shown his improvement across the board. He's blossomed into a reliable, two-way center and the captain of Team USA. So, why would Matthews fall in this year's NHL Network rankings for centers? In an August 24 appearance on NHL Network, analyst Mike Rupp unveiled his list of the NHL's top-10 centers. Topping the list are Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Leon Draisaitl.
