Red, White and booed.<\/p>\n
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was heckled and jeered by NJ Devils fans in her home state as the team honored their Olympians, including American hero\u00a0Jack Hughes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fans inside the Prudential Center broke out into a loud chorus of boos after the 54-year-old Democrat and her husband, Jason Hedberg, were announced to the ice before the Devils\u2019 game\u00a0against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sherrill, who assumed office in the Garden State just over a month ago, was on hand for the ceremonial puck drop and to present Hughes with a New Jersey State flag.<\/p>\n NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill with husband Jason Hedberg, New Jersey Devils\u2019 Jack Hughes, team managing partner David Blitzer and Allison Blitzer before a game on Feb. 25, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n The pregame ceremony honored the star forward for scoring Team USA\u2019s gold medal-clinching, overtime goal against Canada in the Winter Olympics final on Sunday. It was the Americans\u2019 first gold medal since 1980.<\/p>\n The first couple \u2013 wearing custom Devils jerseys \u2013 Hughes and Devils managing partner David Blitzer and his wife Allison Blitzer posed at center ice for a photo.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office shared the pics of the photo-op with Sherrill congratulating Hughes, saying a \u201cpart of history\u201d was in New Jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cA piece of history was brought back to Jersey tonight,\u201d the caption read. \u201cCongratulations to the men and women of @usahockey on bringing home gold \u2013 and @njdevils\u2019 own Jack Hughes for scoring the Golden Goal. Keep making Jersey proud.\u201d<\/p>\n Social media users were quick to point out that Sherrill\u2019s post didn\u2019t feature any video which would have captured the deafening boos she received.<\/p>\n \u201cSounded like most everyone there was Booing you\u2026 Might want to figure out the \u2018why\u2019\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n The Newark crowd erupted in relentless boos for Sherrill and her husband, Jason Hedberg. NHLI via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cYour managed to somehow get booed loudly\u00a0 during the most festive thing at the Rock ever,\u201d another comment read.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got booed by the US Hockey Team fans? Probably the first Annapolis grad in history that has happened to,\u201d a third reacted.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got boo\u2019d by every single person in the stadium of the state you represent,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n When Hughes was introduced during the ceremony, the packed arena broke out in chants of \u201cU-S-A,\u201d before the 24-year-old addressed\u00a0the crowd in a tearful speech.<\/a><\/p>\n Jack Hughes meets with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill before a Devils game against the Buffalo Sabers on Feb. 25, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes wear their gold medals as they attend President Donald Trump\u2019s State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026. Bonnie Cash\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so proud and I\u2019m so happy that the men\u2019s and women\u2019s USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America,\u201d Hughes said to the crowd. \u201cYou guys are making me emotional, but I\u2019m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization. And I\u2019m so, so proud to represent the great state of New Jersey \u2013 so proud.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the bottom of my heart, all of my teammates, USA teammates, we just want to thank you guys for all the love and support. We feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sherrill, who represented New Jersey\u2019s 11th district in the US House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025, has been targeted by critics for her actions during her first month in office.<\/p>\n The newly sworn-in governor and the State of New Jersey were\u00a0sued by the Department of Justice<\/a>\u00a0after she signed an executive order\u00a0shielding Garden Staters from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on nonpublic state property.<\/p>\n Federal government officials accused Sherrill, a former prosecutor, of \u201caiming to intentionally obstruct federal law enforcement\u201d with her executive order No. 12,\u00a0which she signed Feb. 11.<\/a><\/p>\n