The USA men’s hockey team just produced the most iconic performance in at least the past 46 years with their 2-1 victory over Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 22.
Team USA beat Canada in overtime to secure the country’s first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980, which was when the “miracle on ice” took place against the Soviet Union.
The game-winning goal was scored by New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, in what was an incredible goal that secured the USA the gold.
And because it’s a sudden death in overtime, the game ended as soon as Hughes’ shot hit the back of the net less than two minutes into the overtime period.
Jack Hughes still surely has a very successful NHL career ahead of him. However, it’s hard to imagine he will ever produce a more legendary moment on the ice than he did on February 22.
And he had his brother Quinn (who is a star defender for Team USA) to celebrate with.
Jack and Quinn weren’t the only members of the Hughes family who were present at Sunday’s historic game.
Their mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes (a Player Development Consultant for the USA women’s hockey team and therefore a gold medalist in her own right at these Winter Olympics), and their father, Jim Hughes, were also in the building.
The NHL’s X account posted a photo of the entire Hughes family embracing each other after the game with the caption, “What a moment for the Hughes Family ♥️”.
It has certainly been a remarkable few days for the Hughes family.
Ellen Hughes Is the Mother of NHL Star Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes is one of the NHL’s brightest stars, and he comes from a deeply athletic family.
His mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, raised Jack and his brothers, Quinn Hughes and Luke Hughes, in a household centered around sports, discipline, and competition.
Ellen did not just support her sons from the sidelines. She built an impressive athletic résumé of her own long before her children reached the NHL.
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Ellen grew up in Dallas, Texas, where she excelled in both hockey and soccer. As a teenager, she competed with the legendary Dallas Sting Soccer Club.
In 1984, the Sting captured international attention by winning a FIFA-sanctioned women’s world tournament in Xi’an, China — a groundbreaking moment in women’s soccer history.
She continued her multi-sport career at the University of New Hampshire, where she played soccer, lacrosse, and hockey.
Ellen later represented the United States at the 1992 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland, earning a silver medal with the national team.
Although she stepped away from professional competition before women’s hockey made its Olympic debut, she never left the sport behind.
While many know Ellen as Jack Hughes’ mother, she also serves as a respected figure in U.S. hockey development.
In 2023, she joined the U.S. women’s national hockey team as a player development consultant.
She helped guide the team to multiple World Championship gold medals and later served on staff during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
That Olympic experience proved especially meaningful because Ellen and her sons all competed in the same Games.
Jack and Quinn helped power Team USA to its first men’s Olympic hockey gold medal since 1980, with Quinn scoring a dramatic overtime winner in the quarterfinals and Jack netting the decisive goal in the gold medal game
UDHËTO LIRË.
UDHËTO KOMOD.
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