Jack Hughes had received a hero\u2019s welcome in his Devils homecoming and was seemingly taking his first breath in the past four days as he sat down in front of the home media for the first time since the Olympic break on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been obviously some of the best three days of my life, probably,\u201d Hughes said following the Devils\u2019 2-1 loss to the Sabres at Prudential Center in the team\u2019s first game back since the Olympic break. \u201cI\u2019ve had so much fun with this group of guys. I\u2019m sure everyone on this team wishes it was still going, but nice to get back into a routine and back with my teammates here.\u201d <\/p>\n
He has been elated ever since, taking champagne-heavy celebrations from the Olympic Village all the way back to Miami<\/a>. Hughes and his teammates also made a stop in Washington after receiving an invitation from President Donald Trump to visit the White House<\/a> and attend his State of the Union address<\/a> on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n And it continued for his Devils homecoming.<\/p>\n The New Jersey fans couldn\u2019t wait to welcome Hughe home and they dressed the part too, sporting USA jerseys and holding homemade USA signs and American flags. The Devils placed a signed card on each seat, picturing Hughes holding the American flag that read \u201cMade in Jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n Hughes was greeted with a rowdy \u201cU-S-A\u201d chant and a standing ovation as he did a lap around the ice. He made sure to grab Team USA teammate Tage Thompson, who scored the Sabres\u2019 first goal, for a lap before making a brief but emotional speech.<\/p>\n Jack Hughes takes the ice during warmups before the Devils\u2019 2-1 loss to the Sabres on Feb. 25, 2026 at Prudential Center. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll never be about one person. It\u2019s always about the team and that group of guys,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cTo share that moment with Tage, I hope that when he gets his first game in Buffalo, they do something for him and I hope he\u2019s playing one of his American teammates and he can do the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor me it will never be about the golden goal. It will always be about our three weeks at the Olympics, and just what a special group it was,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils is greeted by fans as he walks out on the ice during warmups. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n Hughes became choked up during his speech, capping off his celebration tour with an emotional homecoming. <\/p>\n All of the Olympic festivities were noticeably still catching up to him, but those are moments the American star certainly wouldn\u2019t trade.<\/p>\n Fans cheer as Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils is on the ice during warmups. Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n It all sparked from the third period of the gold medal match when Hughes took a stick to the face, knocking out several front teeth<\/a> \u2014 which he clarified Wednesday that the amount of teeth or partial teeth lost is still to be determined.<\/p>\n