US ice hockey hero Jack Hughes was left with a giant hole where his front tooth should be following a nasty blow to the face in the side’s Winter Olympics gold-medal match with Canada.
The American men’s team finally ended their painfully long wait to scoop the main prize with a 2-1 overtime victory over their bitter rivals in a pulsating final in Milan, Italy.
The United States’ barren spell had stretched way back in 1980 – when they defeated the Soviet Union in their famous ‘Miracle on Ice’ – and the sense of joy and relief was clear to see as Mike Sullivan’s jubilant players soaked up the moment.
The thrilling contest came down to a three-on-three play and Hughes kept his composure after receiving a pass from Zach Werenski, coolly slotting home one minute and 41 seconds into the extra period.
The dramatic golden goal sparked wild celebrations amongst the US squad, with Hughes immediately mobbed by his team-mates on the ice.
And when Hughes eventually emerged from the scrum, the 24-year-old showed off his winning smile – one or two teeth down from when he started the match.
The injury – which came after a hefty whack from Sam Bennett’s high stick in the third quarter – didn’t seem to bother the New Jersey Devils centre, though… in fact he looked rather proud of his new look.
‘This is all about our country right now!’ Hughes told NBC Sports shortly after the win.
‘I love the USA, I love my team-mates. It’s unbelievable.
‘The US hockey brotherhood, it’s so strong and we’ve had so much support from ex-players.
‘I’m so proud to be American today.’
Hughes singled out Connor Hellebuyck for special praise, claiming his fellow countryman was the side’s standout player ‘by a mile’.
‘It was an unbelievable game by Hellebuyck. He was our best player tonight by a mile,’ he added.
‘It was an unbelievable game, an unreal game by our team. It was just a ballsy, gutsy win.
‘That’s American hockey right there. It’s a great Canadian team but we’re so proud to be Americans and tonight was all for the country.’
Asked what the gold medal means for US ice hockey, Hughes replied: ‘It’s everything.
‘Like I said, the USA hockey brotherhood means so much. We’re such a team, we’ve been together for two weeks and we’re such a team.
‘The US hockey brotherhood is so strong and we’re so proud to win for our country.’
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