Jack Hughes
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MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 22: Jack Hughes #86 of Team United States celebrates after their gold-medal win during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Jack Hughes truly left it all on the ice for the United States Men’s Hockey Team in the Gold Medal match against Canada.
In the third quarter, Hughes was on the receiving end of a high-sticking penalty from Sam Bennett, which resulted in a four-minute power play, but also left Hughes without his tooth.
“My first thought was, draw the penalty,” Hughes joked after the game (per ESPN). “Actually, my first thought, I looked on the ice and saw my teeth.”
And this moment certainly brought back memories for Celtics fans, who saw something similar happen with one of Boston’s star players a few years ago.
During Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals, White chipped his tooth while diving for a loose ball and hitting his face on the ground. But, in the end, White was a champion, as the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in that game, 106-88. And even the Celtics poked fun at Hughes’ moment, sharing a photo of him along with the viral photo of White.
It seems that chipping a tooth en route to a championship is a right of passage!
Fans React To The Derrick White-Jake Hughes Comparisons
“Chipped teeth in “champion-chip” games,” one person commented on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“This is the key to winning on the biggest of stages,” another person shared.
“jack hughes posted by the celtics ELITE CROSSOVER,” someone posted.