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Don La Greca may be biased because he watches Jack Hughes play every night, but the New Jersey Devils play-by-play announcer couldn’t help but defend America’s newest hero and his teammates.
La Greca joked that he was about to delete social media after the U.S. men’s hockey team won its first gold medal since 1980. The Devils announcer implored both teams that Hughes had scored simply for the United States of America, not Democrats or Republicans.
“I don’t come from either side – both sides embarrassed each other…” La Greca said on his ESPN New York radio show, “Don Hahn & Rosenberg.” “He’s a hockey player who scored a goal. And that’s all he cares about. And he loves being American.”
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Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils warms up before a game between the Nashville Predators and the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on January 29, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But one caller thought it was a “bad look” that the men’s team laughed after President Donald Trump said he “should” invite the women’s team to Tuesday’s State of the Union conference.
“It’s just a bad preview, because that’s how someone wanted to describe it… People were sorting through the comments, people were trying to get a reaction, they supported us,” La Greca said. “Jack’s mother was involved in women’s football. Can we stop? Please stop! If you have to call [with that sentiment]don’t call…
“We can’t have nice things. Want to believe it? Good for you. But this can’t be the first thing we discuss – it’s not even 24 hours old, and this is the conversation people want to have. It’s ridiculous.”
La Greca and her hosts then discussed the presence of Kash Patel in the locker room.
“What were they supposed to do, throw him out of the room? Half of them didn’t even know who he was. That’s the problem I have. All of a sudden, everyone’s being pigeonholed: ‘Oh, it must be MAGA because Patel was in there.’ It’s unfair,” La Greca said.
Jack Hughes (86) of the United States poses with teammates after a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, February 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
“The fact that someone tweeted that the men laughed when Donald Trump suggested he should invite the women, now the narrative is that they laughed at the women guests. We don’t know why they laughed. Trump said ‘I’ll be impeached if I don’t invite them.’ Maybe they laughed about it. Maybe it was just an embarrassed laugh. We don’t know. Because someone wanted to make sure that the men, who did nothing but support them, that they were there when they won the gold medal, that Jack’s mother is on the team, that they don’t all collectively want women to be in the White House? Someone shaped it to be that way, so some assholes believe it.
“Maybe they laughed. But no one was in the room to know that. That’s what some people want you to believe. They have an agenda that men are sexist and women shouldn’t play sports, because that’s what some on the right think. So let’s drag it to the left, or the right try to drag it to the right, instead of just letting it happen. Because that’s what social media does.”
Hughes told reporters after the game that the first thing he thought of when the puck went in was Megan Keller, who scored the U.S. women’s team’s golden goal against Canada three days earlier.
Hughes’ brother Quinn, who scored an overtime goal against Sweden last week, said it was “amazing to spend time” with the women’s team at the Olympic Village.
“And then obviously [watching] they, Jack and I were there, we saw them win the gold medal. They came to our game and got to watch us,” he said. “So just the support, just getting to know them better, was special too.”
Jack Hughes of the United States celebrates with his national flag after scoring his second goal in overtime to win gold on February 22, 2026. (Reuters/Alessandro Garofalo)
The women’s team refused an invitation to Washington, D.C., citing scheduling conflicts. Several members of the men’s team will be in attendance after partying in Miami on Monday.
The NHL season resumes Wednesday.
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