- Jack Hughes made TIME’s inaugural 100 Most Influential People in Sports
- The honor traces back to his Olympic golden goal that ended a 46-year U.S. drought
- Read below for where Hughes ranked and the company he kept on the list
Jack Hughes is officially one of the most influential people in sports.
TIME released its inaugural 100 Most Influential People in Sports list this week, and the Devils center landed on it. New Jersey shared the news on Wednesday:
Hughes slotted into the “Titans” section alongside Victor Wembanyama, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Aaron Judge, Caitlin Clark, Lionel Messi and LeBron James also made the 100.
The reason he’s on the list isn’t a mystery. Hughes scored the golden goal at the Milano Cortina Olympics, beating Canada 2-1 in overtime to give the United States its first men’s hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
He buried it 1:41 into the extra frame, taking a Zach Werenski feed and sliding it five-hole on Jordan Binnington. Watch the goal that ended a 46-year wait:
What made the moment stick was the face. Sam Bennett’s high stick caught Hughes flush in the mouth right before overtime and cracked his front teeth. He went out and won the gold anyway, then flashed a bloody, gap-toothed grin with the flag over his shoulder for one of the Games’ signature images.
The teeth got fixed. Hughes showed off the new set on the Pat McAfee Show last month and talked about the playoff grind.
His day job has gone fine, too. At 24, Hughes became the fastest player in Devils history to reach 400 points, getting there in 414 games on March 16. He sits at 428 for his career after a 27-goal, 50-assist season in New Jersey.
He wasn’t the only hockey name TIME recognized. Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin both made the cut, with Knight passing every American before her to become the all-time leading U.S. Olympic goal scorer during the women’s gold run in Italy.
Not a bad year for a guy who was spitting out teeth four months ago.
