Team USA Hockey Star Jack Hughes Says Fans Won’t Be Happy When He Fixes Famous Smile

Team USA ice hockey star Jack Hughes, known for being featured in one of the most iconic sports photos in recent memory, said his fans are probably going to be “p*ssed” when he fixes his broken teeth.

The 24-year-old athlete told The Daily Mail that dentists are chomping at the bit for the opportunity to repair his cracked smile, but Hughes knows the repair won’t go over well with everyone. 

“Yeah, the amount of dentists that have reached out, man, it’s too many,” he told the outlet during an appearance at Raising Cane’s in Times Square on Monday. “But I’m going to get them fixed, hopefully this week.”

“I think people will be p*ssed if I do get them fixed,” Hughes added.

Team USA won gold during the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan for the first time in 46 years. The game came down to overtime against Canada. Hughes, a center and alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils, scored the winning goal.

Hughes was captured in an iconic, patriotic photo that quickly went viral. The ice hockey player can be seen smiling a bloody, broken grin, raising his fist in victory, and posing with an American flag draped around his shoulders. Viewers praised the emotions conveyed by the single image, which at once exemplified grit, determination, and ultimately, American excellence. 

But any new or old fans should already know that Hughes wasn’t willing to live with broken and missing teeth forever, even if his smile helped make him famous.

One reporter asked about it after Team USA’s big win last month, as The Daily Wire previously reported.

“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?” the reporter asked at the time.

“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 while laughing.

When asked whether he planned to keep his smile the way it was, he said, “No, I’m going to fix these things, I want my good smile back.”