A future teller could not have predicted Jack Hughes future more accurately than the ESPN letter he wrote himself in 2019.
“Maybe we all represented the United States at the Olympics or World Championships,” Hughes wrote. “Maybe we won a gold medal (or gold medals) together. What an honor that would be.”
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Hughes is coming off scoring a goal in overtime in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Canada to help Team USA win its first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the famed 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” After Hughes’ overtime goal and his resiliency through the game, he has become the poster boy for the Team USA men’s hockey team.
Early in the third period, the 24-year-old forward got his front two teeth knocked out after taking a stick to the face. Later in the period, Hughes was in the penalty box after accidentally hitting a Canadian player in the face with his stick while fighting for a loose puck in the corner. He feared the worst.
“I pictured myself on Barstool being the guy that America hates because Canada scores on the power play,” Hughes said. “I was like, Oh my God, here it comes.”
In the end, Hughes traded his front teeth for a gold medal. Instead of being the punchline of jokes on Barstool, Hughes’ goal will be ingrained in Team USA history and it was all predicted in 2019.
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