On February 25, 2026, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill faced loud, sustained boos from the Prudential Center crowd during a ceremonial puck drop honoring NJ Devils star and Olympic gold medalist Jack Hughes after Team USA’s win. The jeers extended to her husband, Jason Hedberg, amid a celebratory atmosphere for Hughes’ gold-medal heroics.
Sherrill, a Democrat who won the governorship in 2025, posted photos of the event on X, drawing mocking responses highlighting the boos. Many critics assume the negative reaction stems from Sherrill’s history of scandals and unpopular left-wing policies.
Trying to keep a brave face, the unpopular Democrat reacted, “A piece of history was brought back to Jersey tonight. Congratulations to the men and women of @usahockey on bringing home gold – and @njdevils’ own Jack Hughes for scoring the Golden Goal. Keep making Jersey proud.”
However, conservative social media users were unwilling to let her get away unscathed. “We love Jack. However, thankfully you got booed which is the reception you deserved,” one fan quipped. Another joked, “Sounded like most everyone there was Booing you… Might want to figure out the ‘why,”
In any case, speaking at the same event, well-loved Olympian Jack Hughes, stated, “I’m so proud and so happy that the men’s and women’s hockey teams brought the gold medal back to America,” adding, “And I’m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization and to represent the great state of New Jersey.”
“I get goosebumps when I watch it back,” Hughes said after his first gameback, “I’d have to look in the mirror and add it up,’ he said. ‘I have a couple of half-teeth.” Additionally, other men involved with the New Jersey team shared their thoughts.
Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said, “Obviously, this was a tough one for Jack. It´s been a whirlwind for him. He had a lot of short shifts early and Jack’s not a short shift guy. If he’s giving you short shifts, you know he’s not quite feeling it early. All things considered, he gave us a lot.”
"*" indicates required fields
Speaking about the team, President Donald Trump reacted, “They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, as everybody saw. As did the American women, who will soon be coming to the White House. They were in the Oval Office before and I just want to say a second big congratulations to Team USA.”
Watch the clip here:
Reacting with his typical charisma, the President added, “We took a vote and I said “if anybody votes no, I’m not doing it.” They said they weren’t about to say no because they’ve never seen a goaltender play as well as Connor Hellebuyck. I asked him, “the one shot where you put your stick in the back and it hit the neck of your stick and bounced off, did you practice that or was it a little lucky? He refused to answer that question.”
Featured image from embedded video