Jack Hughes was not in a joking mood during a mid-game interview, with the Devils star giving an awkward on-air reply to an ESPN reporter.
ESPN’s A.J. Mleczko was speaking with the New Jersey forward during the first intermission of Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers when she made a joke to close out the interview.
Mleczko attempted to rib Hughes over a reported incident at a team dinner last season when he suffered a serious wound on his hand and missed some games, but the joke appeared to cut a little too close to the bone.
What was the joke?
“Well, it’s great to see you healthy. Let’s wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year. Does that sound good?” she said, clearly in a joking manner.
But Hughes apparently didn’t find the quip funny and no-sold the attempted joke.
“I mean, I think that’s a weird joke mid-game,” he said before skating away to the locker room.
Mleczko did her best to transition back to the booth after the awkward situation.
“No sense of humour here in a big game, but I appreciate his time and he had a good start here this season,” she said.
Does all work and no play make Jack a dull boy?
Of course, Hughes might have been a bit dour considering the situation. His team was losing 1-0 after the 20 minutes to a division rival after all.
Maybe it was the inference that Hughes should be placed in bubble wrap and that he felt the interviewer was calling him soft — something no hockey star wants to be known as.
Or it was the topic of the injury itself could’ve been a sore subject, considering the circumstances surrounding it.
While it wasn’t officially confirmed, Hughes reportedly was cut by a broken glass during a team dinner and required surgery on his finger. He ended up missing 18 games, which also cooled the hot start he had been on to start the 2025-26 season, having notched 20 points in his first 17 games.
Hughes was able to return to action in time for the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina this past February — which was great news for Team USA. Hughes scored the gold-medal-winning goal against Canada to spark wild celebrations in his home nation.
Thursday night also ended with some cheers for Hughes, but on a vastly smaller scale. The forward scored the game-winner 3:23 into overtime to give the Devils a 3-2 win over the Flyers.
Are Jack Hughes and Tate McRae still dating?
During the time his hand injury occurred last season, there was plenty of photo documentation of Hughes from an unlikely source: Paparazzi.
Hughes had been spotted out in New York City with Canadian pop star Tate McRae, sparking rumours of a romance between the two.
The 23-year-old McRae and the Devils centre, 25, reportedly first got together in December and the singer was spotted in attendance at one of his games.
But, according to Page Six, the couple broke up in August with Hughes reportedly telling friends that he ended it after seeing “red flags,” while others stating that McRae poured cold water on the situation.