Olympic gold medalist Jack Hughes came home a hero Wednesday night.
The New Jersey Devils center had just scored the overtime golden goal in Milan four days earlier – the goal that ended America's 46-year men's Olympic hockey drought and sent the entire country into a frenzy.
When a sold-out Prudential Center packed in to welcome him back, Governor Mikie Sherrill walked onto the ice to hand him a puck – and what happened next tells you everything about where New Jersey really stands.
NJ Devils Fans Boo Sherrill Seconds After Jack Hughes Gets Standing Ovation
Hughes got what he deserved.
Tears in his eyes, missing a couple of front teeth from a Sam Bennett high stick in the third period of the gold medal game, the 24-year-old Devils star addressed the crowd with raw emotion.
"I'm so proud and I'm so happy that the men's and women's USA hockey teams brought gold medals back to the United States of America," Hughes told the roaring arena.
https://x.com/NJDevils/status/2026812146059805139“>https://x.com/NJDevils/status/2026812146059805139
The crowd gave him the standing ovation every American wanted him to get.
Then the PA announcer introduced Sherrill for the ceremonial puck drop.
Deafening boos rained down the moment her name hit the speakers.
Videos posted across social media captured the full scope of the reaction – an entire arena, still wrapped in American flags from the Hughes celebration, turning on their governor in unison.
DOJ Lawsuit Filed Two Days Before Sherrill Showed Up at the Devils Game
This didn't happen in a vacuum.
Just two days before the Devils game, the Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Sherrill and the State of New Jersey over Executive Order No. 12 – a directive she signed February 11th barring ICE agents from operating in nonpublic areas of state property without a judicial warrant.
AG Pam Bondi didn't mince words.
"Federal agents are risking their lives to keep New Jersey citizens safe, and yet New Jersey's leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement," Bondi said in announcing the suit.
The DOJ's 21-page complaint alleged that Sherrill's order shields dangerous criminals from federal removal – including, the suit specified, individuals convicted of aggravated assault, burglary, and drug and human trafficking.
Sherrill shrugged it off at an unrelated press conference, telling reporters that ICE agents needed "some modicum of training" before they could be trusted to operate in her state.
Newark gave her a different answer Wednesday night.
What the Sherrill Boos Tell You About New Jersey After the Gold Medal
Politicians who insert themselves into genuine national moments pay for it when the crowd knows what they've been doing all week.
Hughes and his teammates had carried Johnny Gaudreau's jersey around the ice in Milan – honoring a teammate killed by a drunk driver – and the country was still riding that wave of real, earned American pride.
Hughes appeared at the State of the Union alongside his brother Quinn, gold medals around their necks, to a standing ovation and chants of "USA" from Congress.
Then Sherrill stepped onto the Prudential Center ice beside the man who represented everything Americans are proud of – and got exactly the reception a governor deserves when she spends the week fighting to keep ICE off state property.
That's not a fringe reaction.
That's working-class New Jersey – the same voters who handed Sherrill a 14-point landslide just three months ago – telling her the honeymoon is already over.
The DOJ's own filing argues the Supremacy Clause makes Sherrill's executive order indefensible, and the case is now moving through federal court in Newark.
When that ruling comes down, she won't have a hockey arena to drown it out – she'll have a federal judge telling her that blocking ICE from state property while dangerous criminals walk free isn't a governing philosophy.
It's a liability she owns.
Sources:
- Jim Hoft, "Embarrassing: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Husband BOOED LOUDLY at Devils–Sabres Game," The Gateway Pundit, February 26, 2026.
- Mike G. Morreale, "Jack Hughes Celebrates Olympic Golden Goal, Praises Team USA in Devils Return," NHL.com, February 26, 2026.
- "Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against New Jersey for Interfering with Federal Immigration Laws," U.S. Department of Justice, February 24, 2026.
- "DOJ Sues New Jersey Over ICE Executive Order," NJBIZ, February 25, 2026.
- "Jack Hughes, Connor Hellebuyck Lift U.S. to Olympic Hockey Gold," ESPN, February 22, 2026.
