Is this the end of an iconic set of hockey teeth?
PublishedMarch 3, 2026 5:20 PM EST•UpdatedMarch 3, 2026 4:59 PM EST
Right now, the most iconic smile in the nation belongs to New Jersey Devils star and Team USA overtime hero Jack Hughes.
Not because he has some thousand-watt pearly whites, but because his mangled chompers — sustained late in the game courtesy of a high-stick — were one of the most memorable images to come out of the Olympic gold medal game.
As soon as I saw it, my first thought was that it was like a modern version of that legendary photo of Philadelphia Flyers great Bobby Clarke. The one where he's got that big, toothless grin after winning the Stanley Cup.
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I have a pair of socks with that image on them; it's so legendary. I almost wore them for my wedding… I'm not kidding.
Hughes, his brother Quinn, and US women's team captain Hillary Knight were all guests on The Tonight Show on Monday when host Jimmy Fallon asked if those crooked chiclets might be Hughes' new "thing."
"I can promise you that this won't be my thing," he said, per Daily Mail. "Honestly, it is funny, because since we've been back in the U.S., we feel the love like crazy and so much support, but when people are coming up for a picture, they'll be like, 'smile.' … It's funny, yeah."
Jack Hughes said that his mangled Olympic teeth are not going to be his "thing." (Getty Images)
On one hand, there has to be a part of Hughes that kind of digs this. Otherwise, he probably could've found time to get those puppies fixed.
I mean, it's not like the Devils are fighting for a playoff spot, and he can't afford to play a game with a slightly novocained mouth.
But on the other hand, I can get it because messed-up hockey teeth are revered.
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Sure, they're a pain like any other messed-up teeth. It's tough to chew, tough to speak; people start asking if you're British.
It being a hockey injury sometimes makes up for that, though.
If your teeth get messed up, you want it to be a hockey injury. It just sounds so much better than, "I was eating popcorn and some rogue kernel weasled its way in, now I'm down half an incisor."
Hopefully, if Hughes does get it all fixed up, he will go the removable route. That way, you get the best of both worlds.
You can eat, talk, and smile with impunity, but can still pop it out to look cool on the ice, scare children, or just as a fun party trick.
