Jack Hughes had an eventful opening night to his 2026-27 season on Thursday, and it wasn’t just because he ended the game with the overtime-winning goal before bringing out his patented stick-throwing celebration.
While Hughes‘ overtime heroics will be the lasting memory of the game, his first-intermission interview with ESPN’s A.J. Mleczko drew just as much attention around the hockey world.
It all stemmed from a joke Mleczko made about the New Jersey Devils superstar staying healthy this season:
“Well it’s great to see you healthy, let’s wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year. That sound good?”
Hughes understandably didn’t take too kindly to the joke:
“I mean, I think that’s a weird joke mid-game, but…”
Mleczko played it cool as Hughes skated off to the locker room:
“Well, no sense of humor here in a big game, but I appreciate his time and he had a good start here this season,”
The 25-year-old Hughes, of course, went on to tally the game-winning goal while logging 25:48 of ice time in the Devils’ 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s coming off an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign in which he posted 77 points (27 goals, 50 assists) in just 61 games.
Most of the action (18 games) Hughes missed last year were because of a hand injury he suffered at a team dinner, hence Mleczko’s bubble-wrap and plastic-cutlery reference.
While there was certainly no malicious intent behind the joke, Hughes was in no mood for it, locked in on the game and new season as he hopes to move past all of his injury woes. He’s unquestionably one of the most talented players in the world; he just needs to stay healthy and put it all together for a full campaign.
