Hughes Family Celebrates USA Gold Before Brothers Play Semifinal

The Hughes family already secured one Olympic gold medal at Milano Cortina 2026. Now brothers Quinn and Jack Hughes aim to complete the family sweep Friday when Team USA faces Slovakia in the men's hockey semifinal.

Ellen Weinberg-Hughes served as a consultant for the United States women's team that defeated Canada 2-1 in Thursday's gold medal game at Santagiulia Arena. Her sons watched from the stands as Megan Keller scored the overtime winner 4:07 into the extra period. Hours later, Quinn and Jack took the same ice for their semifinal preparation.

Mother's Golden Achievement

Ellen's consulting role helped guide Team USA to its first Olympic gold medal since 2018. The victory over Canada provided redemption after the Americans captured silver in Beijing 2022. The dramatic overtime finish gave the United States its latest chapter in the sport's fiercest international rivalry.

Quinn and Jack will return to Santagiulia Arena for Friday's 3:10 p.m. ET semifinal carrying momentum from their mother's success. The brothers represent part of a star-studded American roster chasing the nation's first men's gold medal since the 1980 Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid.

Brothers React to Victory

Quinn expressed pride in his mother's achievement and the women's team performance following Thursday's gold medal game. The Vancouver Canucks defenseman recognized the difficulty Canada presented throughout the contest.

"Happy for her, happy for the whole team, everyone on the coaching staff," Quinn said. "You knew that game was going to be tough, but I think they deserved it." Jack emphasized the connection the USA men's players developed with the women's team through shared facilities at the Olympic Village.

Matt Boldy was first to celebrate with his Minnesota Wild teammate, Quinn Hughes 🥹❤️@mnwild pic.twitter.com/c05nEROz1S
— ESPN (@espn) February 18, 2026

The New Jersey Devils forward described the collective excitement among male players watching Thursday's final. "We're just super happy for all the girls there who won. I think all of us were pulling for them pretty hard, so that was a great game," Jack said.

He continued, "We know them obviously from the Olympic Village. We've been hanging with them a little bit. I think all of us were obviously really pumped up for them."

Semifinal Preparation

Dylan Larkin revealed that many USA men's players gathered in a treatment room to watch the women's gold medal game. The Michigan native celebrated Keller's overtime heroics as a fellow Wolverine State product. "We were going nuts," Larkin told reporters.

"Pretty good moment, and great for them. Megan Keller, that's a great story. Michigan girl. Very proud for her, and yeah, great moment for USA Hockey." Quinn leads Team USA with six points alongside captain Auston Matthews through four tournament games.

The elder Hughes brother scored the overtime winner on Wednesday against Sweden in the quarterfinals. Jack contributed four points and earned promotion to the third line with Larkin and Tage Thompson during the quarterfinal victory.

The Hughes brothers now carry their family's golden momentum into Friday's semifinal against Slovakia. The winner advances to Sunday's gold medal game, while the loser competes for bronze on Saturday.