Olympic Hero Scores Gold Goal With Missing Teeth

Jack Hughes saw his own teeth scattered across the ice in the final minutes of the Olympic gold medal game, shook it off, and scored the overtime goal that gave Team USA its first men's hockey gold since 1980.

The 24-year-old forward took a stick to the mouth from Canada's Sam Bennett late in the third period of a tied thriller. At least one full tooth and several shards hit the ice, but Hughes barely hesitated before jumping back into the action.

Dr. Jason Schepis, the New Jersey Devils team dentist, was watching from home when he recognized those specific teeth. He had actually repaired them just two years earlier after Hughes took another high stick during the 2023 playoffs, performing emergency root canals right there in the arena between periods.

Hughes's gap-toothed celebration after his game-winning goal captured something essential about hockey culture. Missing teeth has become a badge of honor in the sport, where "spittin' chiclets" is so common it inspired a popular podcast.

Every NHL team has a dedicated dentist at every single game, ready to handle everything from chipped teeth to jaw fractures. These specialists perform minor miracles, like when Schepis pulled exposed nerves and completed root canals on Hughes in 2023 so he could finish the playoff game.

The stories are legendary. Keith Yandle lost nine teeth in one game, then played 168 more games in a row. Brent Burns lost three teeth in 2013 and has since played over 1,000 consecutive games. Joe Pavelski got his teeth handed to him in a bag during the 2019 playoffs, got stitched up, and finished the game.

Why This Inspires

What makes these stories remarkable isn't just the physical toughness. It's the immediate choice these players make to keep going, to not let pain derail their team's dreams.

Dr. Tom Lenz, longtime Capitals dentist, notes that hockey players often refuse anesthesia for stitches if it means getting back on the ice faster. Their pain tolerance amazes doctors who work in other sports, where athletes have never experienced anything similar.

Hughes told Jimmy Fallon that the toothless look definitely won't be permanent for him. Unlike Alex Ovechkin, who lost his front tooth in 2007 and made it part of his iconic smile, Hughes got fixed up right away.

But for one perfect overtime moment, that gap-toothed grin represented everything beautiful about Olympic hockey: sacrifice, determination, and pure joy.