Awkward Joke During Devils Season Opener

A.J. Mleczko made a joke that seemed to hit a nerve with Jack Hughes, creating an uncomfortable moment in the middle of the Devils’ season opener against the Flyers on Thursday night.

During a pre-intermission chat with the ESPN analyst, Hughes appeared to take offense to Mleczko’s comment about a freak accident at a team dinner from the previous year. The incident had led to Hughes needing surgery and missing some games. Mleczko jokingly suggested, “Well, it’s great to see you healthy. Let’s wrap you in bubble wrap and use plastic cutlery this year. That sound good?”

However, Hughes didn’t respond well to the joke. He retorted, “I mean, I think that’s a weird joke mid-game,” before skating away from the interview.

It’s easy to see why Hughes might not have been in the mood for jokes—especially after a first period where the Devils were trailing the Flyers, who had just suffered a lopsided loss to the Penguins the night before.

The injury from last year might still be a sensitive topic for Hughes, considering it caused him to miss 18 games during the 2025-26 season. Reports indicated that he sustained the injury, which required finger surgery, after being cut by glass during that team dinner.

At that time, Hughes had been performing exceptionally well, with 10 goals and 20 points in just 17 games.

Following the awkward exchange, Mleczko attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction, saying, “No sense of humor here in a big game, but I appreciate his time and he had a good start here this season.”

Earlier this year, Hughes gained national recognition for scoring the game-winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada, bringing home the United States’ first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980. He also made a significant impact on Thursday night, scoring the game-winner just over three minutes into overtime, securing a 3-2 victory for New Jersey against the Flyers after receiving a pass from Jesper Bratt.