Ellen Hughes and the Hughes family: Jack’s gold winner, Quinn’s OT heroics and the Devils’ return
Ellen Weinberg-Hughes (ellen hughes) grew up in Dallas and was part of the 1984 Dallas Sting Soccer Club; ellen hughes also watched her sons Jack and Quinn Hughes drive the United States to its first Olympic men’s hockey gold since 1980 at the 2026 Games. The Devils returned from an extended Olympic break with coach Sheldon Keefe and several teammates talking about the gold-medal moments and the upcoming stretch of the NHL schedule.
Ellen Hughes's Dallas roots and the Dallas Sting
Ellen Weinberg-Hughes grew up in Dallas, played youth hockey and soccer there, and in 1981—when she was 12—she was featured in a KXAS-TV (NBC5) news story as she suited up for her Dallas youth hockey team. One of her hockey team’s coaches was her father, Dr. Warren A. Weinberg, and in that interview she said, “It’s just a goal I want to reach. ”
She also starred in soccer, playing for the Dallas Sting Soccer Club in the 1980s and joining the Sting team that won the first FIFA-sanctioned world women’s tournament in Xi’an, China in 1984. That Xi’an tournament helped spur the development of the first women’s World Cup in 1991, and Weinberg-Hughes appears in the Sting team photo from that run. She later played multiple sports at the University of New Hampshire from 1988-91 and went on to play for the United States women’s hockey team, earning a silver medal at the 1992 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland.
Weinberg-Hughes told earlier this year that her best friend on the Sting was Carla Overbeck. Her husband, Jim, was also a hockey player who previously held a front-office role with the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the Milan Cortina Olympic Games this winter, Weinberg-Hughes served as a player development consultant for the U. S. women’s hockey team, which meant she celebrated the U. S. women’s gold medal a few days before her sons Jack and Quinn helped secure the men’s title.
How Jack and Quinn decided the Olympic tournament
The 2026 Olympic tournament was shaped in large part by the Hughes brothers: Quinn provided a game-winning overtime goal as the United States defeated Sweden in the quarterfinals, and Jack scored the winning goal in the U. S. -Canada gold medal matchup. For the first time since 1980, the United States secured an Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey on Sunday, and family members like Luke Hughes have been front-and-center in reflecting on those decisive moments.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe shared his thoughts on Jack Hughes’s game-winning goal at the Olympics, and teammates also reacted. Brett Pesce commented on Jack scoring the winning goal for the Americans. Luke Hughes has spoken about Jack’s game-winning overtime goal that secured the gold and about the family’s accomplishments at the 2026 Olympics.
Devils return from the Olympic break
The Devils resumed practice after the extended Olympic break with Luke Hughes back on the ice today. Jesper Bratt returned to practice after his time in Milan at the Olympics, and former Devils captain Andy Greene even suited up to help out at practice, a blast-from-the-past moment for the club.
Keefe discussed the team’s plan as they prepare to resume their NHL schedule and provided an update on Luke Hughes. Players shared reactions from overseas: Dillon offered thoughts on watching Simon Nemec excel at the Olympics, Cody Glass discussed the upcoming return to play after the Olympic break, Jake Allen spoke about the upcoming final stretch of the season, and Connor Brown described what it’s like to be back after the extended break.
Sweep the Deck gala and locker-room moments
The club also highlighted the festivities from the Devils’ annual Sweep the Deck gala. Former players and guests added color to the return: Martin Brodeur talked about Canada’s goalies, Elias shared his “small pants” Olympic injury story, and Arseny Gritsyuk toured Sweep the Deck for the first time with Amanda Stein.
The team’s return blends celebration and recovery: some players are fresh off Olympic duty in Milan and others are focused on the immediate task ahead in the NHL season.
Keefe said the organization is focused on resuming its NHL schedule and on the final stretch of the season; the Devils will pick up play as planned and continue recovery and preparation work from here.
