Three Cheers for Jack Hughes: Why Must Sports Media Try to Cance Joy?

I’ve never seen greater evidence of the political breakup in our culture than when I tuned in to the New Jersey Devils game on Wednesday night.

A few weeks ago, Jack Hughes was the unbelievably young veteran center for the Devils — an all-star in his sport, but relatively unknown to the nation at large. Then last Sunday in a breathtaking gold-medal game against Canada, when half the country was snowed in, he was hit in the teeth during a high-sticking penalty, and then in overtime he scored the game-winning goal with an iconic, piratical bloody smile. He came off the ice and went into a short patriotic soliloquy — “I’m so proud to be American today,” he said — cementing himself as an Olympic and hockey legend in his country’s memory.

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

Featured Tags

I’ve never seen greater evidence of the political breakup in our culture than when I tuned in to the New Jersey Devils game on Wednesday night.

A few weeks ago, Jack Hughes was the unbelievably young veteran center for the Devils — an all-star in his sport, but relatively unknown to the nation at large. Then last Sunday in a breathtaking gold-medal game against Canada, when half the country was snowed in, he was hit in the teeth during a high-sticking penalty, and then in overtime he scored the game-winning goal with an iconic, piratical bloody smile. He came off the ice and went into a short patriotic soliloquy — “I’m so proud to be American today,” he said — cementing himself as an Olympic and hockey legend in his country’s memory.