U.S. hockey hero Jack Hughes and his brothers grew up in Toronto

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Jack Hughes, sporting several damaged front teeth, was filled with patriotic emotion after delivering the U.S. its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980 by scoring the winning goal in overtime against Canada in Milan on Sunday.

But the star forward for the NHL’s New Jersey Devils cut his proverbial hockey teeth in Toronto, where he and his brothers grew up and began developing their world-class skills.

All born in the U.S., Jack, 24, Quinn, 26, and Luke Hughes, 22, relocated to the Greater Toronto Area in 2006 as young children when their father Jim took a coaching job with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies.

They lived in Canada until 2017, when the family moved to Michigan, where the three brothers would join the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) en route to the NHL.

While in Toronto, the Hughes brothers played minor hockey for the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), whose notable alumni include Connor McDavid and Sam Bennett, both of whom were on this year’s Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team.

Before joining the Marlboros, Jack also played six seasons with the GTHL’s Mississauga Rebels.

Jim Hughes told NHL.com that the strong hockey culture present in Toronto helped all three of his sons to excel at the sport from an early age. “When they weren’t playing it, they were watching it. It was everywhere. And they loved it,” he told staff writer Mike Zeisberger.

In addition to near-daily games or practices at local Toronto arenas, the Hughes brothers reportedly spent time playing outdoor hockey in the winter at Etobicoke’s Wedgewood Park.

Jim’s role within the Maple Leafs organization also gave the Hughes brothers access to some of the world’s best NHLers, who they’d one day play against. Leafs star William Nylander lived with the family briefly after he was drafted by the team in 2014.

The U.S. men’s national hockey team dispatched of Nylander and Sweden in their Olympic quarterfinal match last week, with a game-winning overtime goal scored by Quinn Hughes.

Jack and Quinn will now return to their professional squads; the Devils for Jack, where his brother Luke also plays, and the Minnesota Wild for Quinn, where they’ll finish out the NHL season.

But all three will likely also have their sights set on playing for the U.S. national team in other international tournaments, where they’re sure to face off against Canada again.