Olympics hockey hero Jack Hughes told to ‘lighten up’ after blunt response to reporter’s joke in awkward mid-game interview

Team USA hockey hero Jack Hughes has been criticized online for his rude response to a reporter’s clumsy joke in a mid-game interview.

Hughes was interviewed by ESPN’s A.J. Mleczko at the start of the first intermission during the New Jersey Devils’ season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

During their conversation, Mleczko made an awkward joke that referenced a freak accident during a team dinner that left Hughes needing surgery on his finger last year.

‘Well, it’s great to see you healthy. Let’s wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year. That sound good?’ she asked.

But an unimpressed Hughes did not take it well. ‘I mean, I think that’s a weird joke mid-game,’ he responded before skating away from Mleczko.

Hughes, who scored the winning goal in overtime of the gold medal game against Canada at this year’s Olympics in Italy, and the Devils were losing to the Flyers at the time and that may have been to blame for his terse response.

But the interaction did not go down well with viewers at home, who accused Hughes of being too sensitive. 

One commented: ‘That young fella should lighten up. It’s a game.’

Another replied: ‘What an overreaction. It was a light hearted joke which he could have just laughed off.’

A third added: ‘I knew Jack Hughes was fragile, but I didn’t know his feelings were fragile too.’

‘That was actually funny, wtf, take himself way too seriously,’ another insisted.

A fifth replied: ‘Everyone getting upset with her joke is as fragile as Jack Hughes.’ 

It comes after the Olympic gold medalist split from girlfriend Tate McRae back in August after Hughes is said to have seen ‘red flags’ in the singer.

The couple were first spotted on a dinner date at Anton’s in New York City’s West Village back in November before being seen on a stroll weeks later.

Page Six reported that Hughes, 25, told his friends he was the one to call things off because he saw ‘red flags’ in the Canadian singer. However, sources close to McRae, 23, insisted she was the one to end things.

It proved to be a celebratory night for Hughes after he scored with 1:37 left in overtime to lift the Devils to a 3-2 win over the Flyers.

Hughes scored on a wrist shot with an assist from Jesper Bratt in New Jersey’s home opener.

Hughes, who led Team USA to the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics last winter, led New Jersey with 77 points last season and ranked second with 27 goals despite missing 21 games with a hand injury.

The Devils went 8-13-0 without Hughes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft.