Jack Hughes
Left Empty-Netted
… Hall Says Puck Is ‘Permanent’
Published
Jack Hughes can keep pushing all he wants … but it sounds like that golden goal puck is staying put — permanently.
Despite the New Jersey Devils star publicly blasting the Hockey Hall of Fame and trying to reclaim the piece of history, the Hall is making one thing clear to TMZ Sports: it’s not going anywhere.
Enter Phil Pritchard — aka the “Keeper of the Cup” and VP of the Hall — who basically shut the door on Hughes’ hopes.
“As with every artifact in the Hockey Hall of Fame (puck, jersey, stick, helmet, artwork, whatever) we look after it, preserve it, conserve and it becomes a permanent part of our collection,” Pritchard said.
Permanent.
In other words … don’t expect that puck to be boxed up and shipped to the Hughes household anytime soon — or ever.
Pritchard doubled down on the Hall’s stance, emphasizing that their entire mission is about protecting the sport’s history for good.
“Our mission statement is to preserve, document, and record the game … we do it with our entire collection, including the gold medal puck.”
That means the same puck Hughes has been trying to track down — the one that gave Team USA its first Olympic gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980 — is officially museum property now, locked into hockey history alongside other iconic memorabilia.
Of course, Hughes made it clear he doesn’t agree … calling it “bulls***” in an interview with ESPN earlier this week and arguing that he and Megan Keller on the women’s side should have their game-winning pucks.
He even said if he got it back, he wouldn’t keep it for himself … he’d give it to his dad, Jim Hughes, the family’s self-described super collector.
But sentiment aside, the Hall isn’t budging.
Hughes may have delivered a golden moment on the ice … but the keepsake that came with it looks like it’s staying behind glass forever.