Devils' Jack Hughes receives honor from Time Magazine

Now one of the most recognizable faces in American sports, Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils was bestowed another honor following scoring the Olympic gold medal winner (also known as the "Golden Goal") at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics; Hughes has now been named to the 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026 by TIME.

Hughes was the only men's hockey player to make the cut on this particular TIME list. The USA Hockey hero is on the section of the list titled "Titans" alongside Victor Wembanyama, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Senior Correspondent Sean Gregory wrote Hughes's section — detailing how the Team USA icon will forever be remembered for losing his teeth and posing with the American flag following helping the U.S. men secure their first Olympic gold since 1980.

"Has anyone, in or out of the dentist’s chair, shined more brightly after losing teeth than Jack Hughes, the New Jersey Devils center, who at the Milano Cortina Olympics scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give Team USA a 2-1 win over Canada ... The image of Hughes, American flag draped over his shoulders, fist up, bloodied, smiling, and missing two choppers, will endure," Gregory wrote.

Hughes is joined on the list by other sporting icons across a wide variety such as such as Aaron Judge, Caitlin Clark, Lionel Messi and LeBron James.

Hockey represented across 2026 TIME 100 Most Influential People in Sports.

Women's hockey players Hilary Knight and Marie Philip-Poulin were also represented, with Knight having become the all-time leading Olympic goal scorer for the red, white and blue with her goal to force overtime before the American women also defeated Canada to bring home the gold from Italy.

Going back to the Hughes — the New Jersey star scored against Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington just 1:41 into overtime for the American men. In addition, at only 24, Hughes became the fastest player in New Jersey history to reach 400 points — which was achieved in only 414 games on March 16, 2026.

Made in Jersey. Recognized worldwide.#NJDevils | @TIME pic.twitter.com/meu5Jcr06l

USA Hockey's gold medal wins for both the men and women were nicknamed the "Double Gold" and marked the first time in U.S. and Olympic history that both the men's and women's teams won Olympic gold medals. The U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team would also go on to claim its fifth consecutive Paralympic Winter Games gold medal later on in March.

Hughes lost two of his teeth in the process of getting smashed in the face by a stick before he became a U.S. hero. The Florida native currently has 428 points across his NHL career and is coming off a 2025-26 season with the Devils that saw him post 27 goals and 50 assists.

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