Now, Hughes is a huge part of a young, talented American team vying to win gold at these Milan Games.<\/p>\n
Watch a U.S. practice, and besides being an extra coach to help with drills, Hughes, wearing a white USA track suit and helmet, is constantly skating around and pulling players aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe lives and breathes hockey,\u201d Heise said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer energy is unparalleled,\u201d said three-time Olympian Megan Keller. \u201cFrom the moment she stepped in, she\u2019s made sure to connect with us individually and throughout the year, and makes sure we\u2019re all set in order to be at our best. We have a great coaching staff, but to have somebody sort of in the middle that you know has your personal best interests while also wanting to make the team better is huge. It makes everybody comfortable, and it\u2019s a big part of our development and why we\u2019ve been so successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The irony of Hughes working for the U.S. women\u2019s team the past three years is how excited she was for the program when they hired Wroblewski. She had gotten to know him while he coached all three of her boys as teenagers, before they became the first three siblings in United States history to be NHL first-round picks (top-10 picks, in fact).<\/p>\n
But Hughes had always stayed around the women\u2019s game and was proud of how it had grown. So when Wroblewski invited her to Brampton, she thought it would just be fun to watch the games and see a bunch of people she hadn\u2019t seen in years.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever in a million years was it something that I was thinking about doing or thought I would have the opportunity to do,\u201d Hughes said.<\/p>\n
But when Wroblewski proposed the role, she thought long and hard about it. After all, she knew the sport, loved the sport and had watched her husband do a similar job for years. The former Providence College captain began coaching at the college and professional level in the early 90s and spent six years as director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The past 10 years, he has been director of player development for CAA, working with agents Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n Ellen Hughes spends her time on the ice helping with drills and pulling players aside for one-on-one coaching. (Courtesy of USA Hockey)<\/p>\n
Brisson, the NHL power agent who represents all three Hughes brothers, calls Ellen an \u201cencyclopedia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayer development comes in a lot of different ways,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cSo when Wrobo approached me, we didn\u2019t know what this role was going to look like. But it\u2019s about being there for the players and creating relationships. I\u2019m really here to help them problem-solve. If it\u2019s going through a speed bump or they need an outreach, I\u2019m there and I keep my finger on the pulse with everyone. And a lot of that is confidential for each player, and each player it\u2019s different. Some want more touches. Some want less touches. Some only reach out when they really need something, and it comes in all different shapes, size, and forms. And I\u2019ve just loved the role.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single one of these players are the best players in the world, and they want to even get better. So how can we collectively as a group, and what can I do to be a sounding board? And whether it\u2019s finding a skills coach or whether it\u2019s just being a good listener, whether it\u2019s giving them some positive reinforcement, whether it\u2019s listening and then talking through it with them, whether it\u2019s a player that got traded in the (PWHL), whether it\u2019s a player that hasn\u2019t scored in a while, whether it\u2019s someone that\u2019s not happy with their role, it\u2019s just giving them that positive reinforcement and being an advocate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Take Caroline Harvey, one of the best skaters in the world and somebody the women\u2019s staff jokes is like the fourth Hughes sibling because of the way she plays and Ellen\u2019s affinity for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just has the perfect way of instilling confidence and getting through to us girls and building people up,\u201d Harvey said. \u201cI\u2019ve never met somebody who thinks the game the way she does. She sees it and she just gets it and knows the perfect way to talk to each of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s Laila Edwards, an elite forward who has now become an extraordinary defender from the back end. Edwards credits Hughes for helping her with the transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably the biggest help of any person,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cShe\u2019s just been there for me through the whole thing, trying to give me extra help and motivation and confidence I can do it. I went to her place this past summer and she took care of me and did whatever she could to make sure I transitioned smoothly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing with Ellen is she\u2019s really helpful in almost every area and a lot of it is because she was a defenseman, but she\u2019s got two incredible boys who play defense and one incredible forward. So she knows both languages, so to speak. And she just cares.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the year, Hughes is constantly doing check-ins. When she was in Minnesota last month for the Devils-Wild game, the Seattle Torrent were in town, so she made sure to attend practice and see U.S. Olympians Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot to talk hockey,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cThey have enough coaches. They don\u2019t need to be micromanaged. Just to check in and see how things were going.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Wroblewski loves most about Hughes and her invaluable role with the national team is that she\u2019s \u201c75 and sunny 99 percent of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why back in November, after the United States took its second of an eventual four straight victories over Canada in the Rivalry Series, the entire U.S. coaching staff was shocked when Hughes advised them all to check their flight statuses for the next day.<\/p>\n
The staff \u2014 especially Wroblewski \u2014 teased that this was the most negative she\u2019d ever been.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I heard there was a big storm coming, so I was worried,\u201d Hughes said, laughing.<\/p>\n
The next day, Hughes drove five hours in that snowstorm from Buffalo back to suburban Detroit.<\/p>\n
Wroblewski?<\/p>\n
\u201cShort story long, I had a full day of delays,\u201d the Olympic coach said.<\/p>\n
It ended late at night when Wroblewski\u2019s plane, after sitting on the tarmac at Detroit Airport, returned to the gate. The flight was canceled.<\/p>\n
The date was Nov. 9 \u2014 the same weekend the FAA instructed airlines to dramatically reduce flights to ease pressure on air traffic controllers during the U.S. government shutdown. So when Wroblewski walked to the Westin attached to Detroit\u2019s airport, there were no rooms. He called other hotels. They were all sold out because of the canceled flights.<\/p>\n
Wroblewski didn\u2019t hesitate. He hopped in a cab and gave the driver Hughes\u2019 address, 18 minutes away. After all, the Vancouver Canucks were hosting the Colorado Avalanche that night, so he knew she\u2019d be watching her oldest of three NHL-playing sons, Quinn.<\/p>\n
About 10 minutes from the house, Wroblewski, distracted by rescheduling his life since he wouldn\u2019t make it back home to Southern California that night, realized he never told Hughes he was coming.<\/p>\n
He texted Hughes: \u201cAre you up watching Quinn?\u201d<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he goes, \u2018Be there in five,\u2019\u201d Hughes recalled. \u201cI wrote back, \u2018LOL.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n John Wroblewski and Ellen Hughes at the 2025 IIHF Women\u2019s World Championship, where Team USA won gold. (Courtesy of Ellen Hughes)<\/p>\n
Hughes thought he was making fun of her after warning the night before that flights could be canceled.<\/p>\n
Five minutes later, Wroblewski was dropped off in a cul-de-sac that looked identical to the one the Hugheses live in. It was dark, cold and snowing. And Wroblewski knocked on the wrong house\u2019s door.<\/p>\n
When nobody answered, and not realizing the cab driver\u2019s GPS messed up, Wroblewski called Hughes: \u201cAre you actually home?\u201d<\/p>\n
They realized he was one street over. Wroblewski began trudging through the snow with his luggage to Hughes\u2019 actual home.<\/p>\n
Hughes cooked Wroblewski a Filet Mignon. They watched the end of the Canucks game. And he retired to an extra bedroom.<\/p>\n
This is how close Wroblewski is to Hughes and her husband, Jim.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s able to show up to their house uninvited \u2026 at midnight, and know that he\u2019ll have a warm meal and a bed to sleep in.<\/p>\n
And he loves that the players on his team know she has their backs, too. The respect is universal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese women trust her. They confide in her, and Ellen doesn\u2019t tell me everything,\u201d Wroblewski said. \u201cBut as far as making the players feel comfortable and being the first sounding board, she\u2019s perfect because, like I said, what makes Ellen so special is 99 percent of her days are 75 and sunny. Like, it\u2019s the best day ever. Yet, she\u2019s not one of these people that lives with her head in the sand, and when the 1 percent needs to get said or called out, she\u2019s got the gumption, and, you know, kind of the FU to be able to say, \u2018This isn\u2019t right\u2019 or \u2018This has to change.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
With Wroblewski or the players?<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone,\u201d he said, howling.<\/p>\n
Ellen\u2019s husband couldn\u2019t be prouder of the job Ellen does working with Wroblewski and GM Katie Million.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer athletic experience as an athlete and a Hall of Famer at UNH, she\u2019s got all that playing experience and all that competitive experience. And then she had 15 years of raising-three-boys experience,\u201d Jim Hughes said. \u201cSo when Katie and John brought Ellen on board, it\u2019s been a wonderful addition to the women\u2019s Olympic team.<\/p>\n
\u201cEllen has been an incredible sounding board for these women, where they can come and talk to her about anything. And if she doesn\u2019t have the answers, she\u2019ll find the answer, but she gives them really great advice. Because I sit in the living room or I sit in my office and I hear these conversations going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
With her own boys, of course, Ellen plays the role of Mom \u2014 not hockey coach.<\/p>\n
They, too, as Ellen joked, \u201chave enough coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t need me doing that,\u201d Ellen said.<\/p>\n
Still, you do have to wonder whether the skill level of the Hughes boys is nature or nurture.<\/p>\n
Jim and Ellen Hughes were both great hockey players and exceptional skaters, so they were able to teach their kids how to use their edges and skate with power from the time they were little.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of that was just playing, free play,\u201d Ellen said. \u201cAt the end of the day, just playing, play, play, play, play. We did a lot of skating with them when they were little.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ask the Hughes brothers, and they\u2019ll tell you their parents taught them the value of hard work from a young age. They\u2019ll also quickly tell you how much their mom did when their dad was busy coaching or doing player development.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was running around with three little kids,\u201d Ellen said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have a ton of money. And so we did what we knew. And all I knew was sports. I knew how to get out and play tackle with them. I knew how to run around the field. I knew how to go skate with them. There was no grandiose plan, but that\u2019s what Jimmy and I knew. We loved sports. They were always around sports. And I think just having three kids so close in age, because we were moved around a bit, they became best of friends. But we had no big plan. It was just like, \u2018OK, can we just play nice?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n Ellen Hughes pictured with a young Quinn Hughes. (Courtesy of Ellen Hughes)<\/p>\n
\u201cYep,\u201d Jim said, \u201cThey loved playing and loved each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spend any time with Ellen, and you\u2019ll notice that she hears from her kids a lot. She\u2019ll often step away to talk to them about anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s really smart,\u201d said Quinn, the former Norris Trophy winner. \u201cShe\u2019s just got a big heart and she\u2019s there for everyone. But just her intelligence, you can always rely on that. So we\u2019re always bouncing things off her \u2014 not even hockey-related, just life things. Sometimes we give her crap because she\u2019ll have her doctor\u2019s hat on. She\u2019ll have her teacher\u2019s hat on. She\u2019ll have her golf hat on. She\u2019ll have her boater\u2019s hat on. She knows all the answers to everything, all these departments. She really does.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd just obviously an amazing sounding board. And as far as the women\u2019s team, I would imagine it\u2019s the same thing. We see how much those girls love her anytime they visit our house in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Ellen\u2019s in Milan. She\u2019s watched the Americans win gold at the 2023 and 2025 worlds. As a broadcaster, she got to witness them win gold the first time women\u2019s hockey was sanctioned to be part of the Olympics in 1998 and felt joy when they won again in 2018.<\/p>\n
Her two oldest boys will be big parts of the men\u2019s team, striving for their first gold since 1980.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a blessing,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat a great experience. What a luxury to be a part of this. And never in a million years did I think that I would be in Italy and have the opportunity to be a part of the women\u2019s Olympic team. And then to have two sons there, you just count your blessings \u2026 and hope for a lot of wins.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILAN \u2014 In 2023, John Wroblewski, head coach of the United States women\u2019s national hockey team, sat down…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450209,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[93,5,38,151,4,2602,1581,54279],"class_list":{"0":"post-450208","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-detroit-red-wings","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-minnesota-wild","11":"tag-new-jersey-devils","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-olympics","14":"tag-womens-hockey","15":"tag-womens-olympic-ice-hockey"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116029388018673558","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}