The NHL star, 24, turned his dreams into a reality when he scored the game-winning goal for Team USA’s thrilling win over Canada<\/a> at the Games on Sunday, Feb. 22. In doing so, he achieved a feat he literally predicted in a note to himself seven years ago.<\/p>\n Hughes penned a letter to his future self<\/a> for ESPN at age 18, shortly before he was selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Draft. In it, the athlete reflected on his journey while also writing what he hoped to accomplish in his ice hockey career.<\/p>\n Andre Ringuette\/NHLI via Getty<\/p>\n “I’m writing this to you as draft day nears, and it feels like so much has built up to this moment,” Hughes began his letter, which was re-shared by ESPN after Team USA won 2-1 in overtime at the Milan Winter Games.<\/p>\n “Your brothers made you who you are on and off the ice,” he continued, referencing his siblings, Luke Hughes, 22, and Quinn Hughes<\/a>, 26, both of whom are professional hockey players in their own right. “I hope they’ll be able to say you did the same for them and that they had great NHL careers too.”<\/p>\n This next part of the note is where it becomes prophetic.<\/p>\n “Maybe you even suited up with them a couple of times in the NHL,” Jack continued. “Maybe we all represented the United States at the Olympics or World Championships. Maybe we won a gold medal (or medals) together. What an honor that would be.”<\/p>\n Jack and Quinn did play together on Team USA in their gold-medal victory. All three of the Hughes brothers have also transitioned into the NHL; Quinn plays for the Minnesota Wild, while Luke suits up alongside Jack for the Devils.<\/p>\n Quinn, who spoke about how “proud” he is over his younger brother<\/a>, revealed after his team’s win that Jack predicted the golden goal the night before the big game (the brothers were roommates in the Olympic Village).<\/p>\n “At 12:30 a.m., I want over to [Jack] and said, ‘You up?’ ” Quinn recalled via NHL media<\/a>. “And he said, ‘Yeah, dreaming about scoring the game winner.’ “<\/p>\n Elsa\/Getty<\/p>\n The gold medal win was monumental for the U.S. men’s hockey team. It marked their first Olympic victory since\u00a0Lake Placid in 1980<\/a>, when the team defeated the Soviet Union in a matchup that would go down as one of the most famous victories in history.<\/p>\n Jack was the hero of the day, as he scored the winning goal just under two minutes into overtime. He did so without his front tooth, which was knocked out after he took Canadian Sam Bennett\u2019s hockey stick to the face.<\/p>\n In an interview after the win, Jack was filled with enthusiasm for his country and his teammates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Take PEOPLE with you!\u00a0Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine<\/a>\u00a0to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more \u2014 right to your mailbox.<\/p>\n Elsa\/Getty<\/p>\n “This is all about our country right now. I love the U.S.A. I love my teammates, it\u2019s unbelievable,” Jack told NBC. “The USA Hockey brotherhood, it\u2019s so strong. We had so much support from ex-players, and I\u2019m so proud to be American today.”<\/p>\n The New Jersey Devils star also shouted out U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 out of 42 shots during the game.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s an unbelievable game by Hellebuyck. He was our best player tonight by a mile, unbelievable game, unreal game by our team,” he said. “Just a ballsy, gutsy win. That\u2019s American hockey right there.”<\/p>\n He concluded, “That\u2019s a great Canadian team, but we\u2019re USA, we\u2019re so proud to be Americans. This night was all for our country.”<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/b7e5b3fdd4726d348ddef6eae0f7b678.jpeg\"\/)
Jack Hughes, the first overall pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Draft. <\/p>\n![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1cf3f34811f55d45f0d4d9f37c59f27d.jpeg\"\/)
Jack Hughes seconds after scoring the golden goal for Team USA against Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics. <\/p>\n![\"Jack](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/6c1b2710d4c3c45d70659c2611a0ca63.jpeg\"\/)
Jack and Quinn Hughes of Team USA celebrate winning the gold medal over Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics. <\/p>\n