Gold, Lost Teeth, And A True-Grit American Moment From Jack Hughes

Team USA Hockey star Jack Hughes explained during a Monday interview why it never occurred to him not to keep playing after he lost his front tooth in the gold medal matchup against rival Canada.

Hughes, taking the question after he and his teammates returned to the United States, said he knew that to anyone in any other profession, he might “sound crazy,” and, though disappointed about losing a tooth, there was no way he would have come off the ice for that.

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Team USA star Jack Hughes was asked about the moment he lost his tooth during the Olympic gold medal game.

He said he never even questioned whether he would continue playing after.

HUGHES: “Yeah. I mean it sounds like definitely crazy for you guys because just different… pic.twitter.com/d4aMKnnhPt

— Overton (@overton_news) February 23, 2026

The question was a simple one: “You get hit in the face. You lose a tooth or two. You still maintained your composure and stayed in the game. You’re tough enough to keep playing, you scored the winning goal … what is that like?”

“Yeah. I mean, it sounds like definitely crazy for you guys because just different profession, but in hockey, like, if you lose your teeth, it’s not even a question of, like, coming back and playing,” Hughes replied. “That’s like an automatic.”

Hughes described the moment he realized what had happened, saying, “I just, like, was feeling around my mouth and I was just disappointed I lost my teeth.”

“But it is what it is now, so,” he added with a laugh.

When asked whether he planned to keep his newly rearranged grin, he said, “No, I’m going to fix these things, I want my good smile back.”

Pressed for a smile so that everyone could get a good look at the damage, Hughes said no — but clearly struggled not to smile.

Hughes stepped up when asked to add a message for his “young fans,” saying that the hard-fought gold medal — the first for Team USA Hockey since 1980 — was not just for him and his teammates, but for all the young aspiring hockey players who would come after them.

“The Gold Medal is for all the guys that have come before us, and all the young kids that are going to come after us,” he said. “We want to leave USA Hockey in a better place than when we first got there.”