Jack Hughes wasted no time making the biggest mark of the Devils’ season opener Thursday night, scoring the overtime winner in New Jersey’s 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on ESPN. His younger brother, Luke Hughes, also found the net for the Devils.
But the night also delivered an awkward moment in Hughes’ in-game interview with ESPN’s A.J. Mleczko between the first and second periods.
Mleczko tried to lighten the mood by bringing up the finger injury Hughes suffered last season during a team dinner, an off-ice accident that required surgery and kept him out for 18 games.
“Well, it’s great to see you healthy,” said Mleczko. “Let’s wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year. Does that sound good?”
Hughes didn’t go along with it.
“I mean, I think that’s a weird joke midgame,” he said before skating away.
The exchange didn’t seem to rattle him. Hughes stayed locked in and later delivered the game-winner, while New Jersey opened the year with the win.
It’s been a busy stretch for Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal in the Olympic gold medal game and then gave an interview with a bloody mouth. He also went to the White House, had a disagreement with the Hall of Fame and appeared on “Saturday Night Live.”
On top of that, he dated and then broke up with Tate McRae. Against that backdrop, a finger injury from a team dinner might have been the last thing he wanted to joke about during a live interview.
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Jack Hughes Shut Down An Opening Night Moment Devils Fans Noticed
An opening-night broadcast moment turned awkward quickly when Jack Hughes was caught in a first-period in-game interview with ESPNs AJ Mleczko. What started as a lighthearted exchange veered into a joke about Hughes and his injury history, with Mleczko suggesting he should be wrapped in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery, and the Devils center did not let it slide.
Hughes called the remark weird and stressed that the game was too serious for that kind of joke before skating off, and the reaction online split almost immediately. Some fans took issue with the reporters choice of words, while others focused on Hughess curt response, turning a brief broadcast segment into one of the nights more talked-about moments. [Read more 🡒]
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Jack Hughes gave the Devils exactly what they needed in a 3-2 overtime win over the Flyers, then handled an awkward TV moment with the same poise he showed on the ice. His game-winning goal capped a strong night for New Jersey, and Luke Hughes also found the net as the brothers both made their mark in a tight division matchup.
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For New Jersey, the focus is less on the calendar than on getting a reliable defenseman back into the mix when the time is right. Kovacevics presence at practice is the kind of checkpoint teams watch closely in midseason, especially with the blue line always under scrutiny and every healthy body carrying added value as the schedule grinds on. [Read more 🡒]