when did jack hughes lose his front teeth
Jack Hughes lost (parts of) his two front teeth during the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey final between USA and Canada, after taking a high stick to the mouth in the third period of that game.
Quick Scoop: When Did Jack Hughes Lose His Front Teeth?
In February 2026, during the gold-medal game of the Winter Olympics in Milan- Cortina, Jack Hughes was hit in the mouth by a high stick from Canada’s Sam Bennett in the third period. The play left him bleeding, and reporters and team staff later confirmed that parts of his two front teeth were knocked out on the ice.
Despite the dental damage, Hughes stayed in the game and came back for overtime. A little over a minute into the extra period, he scored the golden goal that sealed Team USA’s 2–1 win over Canada and delivered Olympic gold.
Timeline: How It Went Down
- Third period incident
- Hughes takes a high stick to the mouth from Sam Bennett in the third period of the USA–Canada Olympic final.
* The impact knocks out parts of his two front teeth, and he is briefly down on the ice with visible blood.
- Power play and return
- The hit draws a double-minor (4-minute) penalty for high sticking, giving Team USA a long power play they do not convert.
* Hughes leaves briefly for treatment but returns to finish regulation and play in overtime, now missing teeth.
- Overtime heroics
- Just over a minute into 3-on-3 overtime, Hughes scores the game-winner for a 2–1 USA victory over Canada.
* Photos and reports afterward highlight his “toothless” grin as one of the defining images of the 2026 Olympics.
Other Jack Hughes Tooth Talk (Playoffs Note)
Before this Olympic moment, fans had already talked about Hughes losing a tooth during an earlier NHL playoff run with the New Jersey Devils. In that case, he reportedly went straight to the dentist after the game to deal with a lost front tooth from playoff action against the Carolina Hurricanes. That earlier incident is separate from the 2026 Olympic high-stick that cost him parts of his two front teeth in Milan.
At-a-Glance: Teeth Incidents
| Incident | When | What Happened |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic gold-medal game vs Canada | February 2026 (Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics) | High stick from Sam Bennett in the third period knocks out parts of his two front teeth; he later scores the OT golden goal for USA’s 2–1 win. | [10][1][3][5][7]
| NHL playoffs (Devils vs Hurricanes) | Earlier playoff run (reported June 2023 recap) | Hughes loses a front tooth during a playoff game and goes straight to the dentist afterward; widely discussed in fan and injury-history pieces. | [8][2]
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.