A US$50,000 hockey puck is the latest U.S.-Canada Olympic flashpoint

The puck Jack Hughes wants, currently owned by the International Ice Hockey Federation, is housed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

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Jack Hughes believes he has earned the right to keep the puck.

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Not just any puck, but the one the American hockey star rocketed into the net for a “golden goal” at the Winter Olympics final. The dramatic finish against Canada brought the United States its first gold medal in the event in 46 years.

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But the puck is in Canada, on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Hughes isn’t happy.

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“I’m trying to get it. Like, that’s bulls—t that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion,” Hughes said in an interview with ESPN Tuesday. “Why would they have that puck?”

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For months, tensions have been flaring between the U.S. and its northern neighbour over American President Donald Trump’s tariffs and constant taunts that Canada should become the “51st state.” That only intensified the emotional stakes of the hockey final, with even the White House taking part in the trash talk.

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All that made the U.S. Olympic triumph more than a mere sporting victory. Hughes wants the puck for himself and his family.

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Hughes, who was born in Florida but grew up in Canada, wants the puck to give it to his father, he told ESPN. The star plays for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League.

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Hughes also said that Megan Keller — who pulled off a goal in overtime to secure victory for the U.S. team against Canada in the women’s final at the Olympics — also deserves to keep the puck she slammed into the net.

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But both pucks belong to the International Ice Hockey Federation, the governing body for the sport. It has for decades donated artifacts of Olympic hockey for display to the public at the Hall of Fame, the museum said in a statement.

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Located in Canada’s largest city, the Hockey Hall of Fame is meant to preserve the history of the game for fans on both sides of the border, and globally. Even that mission can result in controversy, with tensions running high.

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“Is there anything more American than deciding that, rather than being on display for everyone to enjoy, a symbol of national achievement would instead look better on the wall of your man cave?” one user on Reddit wrote in response to Hughes’ demand for the puck.

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“I hear Michael Phelps has all the water from the pools he won his gold medals in,” another Redditor chimed in.

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The puck Hughes wants may be worth about US$50,000 if it were brought to market, according to Todd Sawatzky, an Ontario-based appraiser of sports memorabilia who has appraised other artifacts at the Hockey Hall of Fame but not that puck.

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And he says the nationalist passions evoked by that particular gold medal game could end up sending the price of the puck even higher at an auction.

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“Because of the tensions, because of the heated rivalry, the patriots down south, I could see the value really climbing, because it’s just proof of ‘we’re better than you,’” he said. “I could see that hitting six figures easy just because of how much hype there was leading up to it, and just the milestone itself.”