Jack Hughes had the best day of his life on Sunday.
With everything on the line in overtime against Canada in the men’s hockey gold medal game at the Winter Olympic Games, Hughes became a new American hero by scoring the game-winning goal.
Instantly, Hughes became an icon of American sports for a lifetime, putting him amongst the legends who have starred for the United States on the global stage.
Thirty minutes earlier, he was down on the ice, clutching his face after getting high-sticked and having two of his teeth knocked out of his mouth.
His now-broken smile, with the American flag draped across his back after the win, became a photo that will be hung on the walls of kids and young adults for decades.
While he might be an American hero, he will be a nightmare for Canadian fans for at least the next four years until they can attempt to exact revenge for Sunday’s defeat.
But that isn’t where the Canadian connection with Hughes ends, however, as his girlfriend might have been ecstatic (and maybe a little sad) at Sunday’s result.
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For the past few months, Hughes has been rumored to be dating massive hockey fan and famous musical artist Tate McRae. McRae, who performed at the NHL All-Star Game two years ago, is an avid league watcher and was seen on a date with Hughes in late 2025.
While they haven’t gone official on social media yet, several gossip news sites claim the two are actively dating and have caught them together in New York on multiple occasions.
After Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift took over the NFL, there might be a similar story in the near future with new American hero Hughes and Canadian pop star McRae.
That is, if she can forgive him for beating her country’s team for the gold medal first.