Jack Hughes has spent the last month making headlines. From scoring an overtime goal to win Team USA their first ice hockey Olympics gold in 46 years to demanding that the Hockey Hall of Fame return the puck he scored the goal with. It’s been an intriguing period for the 24-year-old. He has now received a verdict from the Hall of Fame, and it wasn’t in his favor. The reason for rejection was simple.

“Unfortunately, in the easiest words, it was never Jack’s puck to own,” Vice President and Curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame Philip Pritchard told ESPN. “It’s been donated to us now. For every artifact that’s been donated, we have a paper trail and signed paperwork of where it’s come from.”

“Part of being a registered nonprofit charity in Canada is that it becomes a legal document confirming we have received it as a donation,” he said. “We’ve insured it, we’ve preserved it, and we’ve conserved everything. It becomes part of our institution.”

This comes after a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation. Thus, the IIHF has been responsible for collecting and preserving Olympic items since 1998. That especially includes milestone moments like Hughes’ goal or Megan Keller’s goal for Team USA against Canada.

So, after the game, an official collected the pucks, secured them, and gave them to the IIHF. From there, they authenticate it and then officially donate it to the Hockey Hall of Fame. That ensures the global community can access it and that people share it worldwide, as Pritchard attested.

“We try to take the emotion out of it. We’re here to preserve a game that Jack’s lucky enough to play, or we’re lucky enough to work in. That’s why the Hockey Hall of Fame museum exists as an institution: we’re preserving the game of the past, present, and future,” Pritchard added.

All these thoughts stemmed from an interview with Hughes, where he was unhappy that neither he nor Megan Keller got to keep the pucks. That is the case with the NHL, where the opposite happens, and players can take the pucks and gear.

Pat McAfee sends a message to the Hall of Fame about Jack Hughes’ puck

In that case, the Hockey Hall of Fame will request that the player add the puck/gear to their collection. But teams and players don’t always agree to that. That apparently didn’t go down well with Hughes, who is incensed by the matter.

“I’m trying to get it. Like, that’s bulls— that the Hockey Hall of Fame has it, in my opinion. Why would they have that puck?” Hughes told ESPN. “I don’t see why Megan Keller or I shouldn’t have those pucks.”

And his qualm led to messages of support from fans across social media, including Pat McAfee. Host of the Pat McAfee Show, the former NFL star knows Hughes well after the Olympian recently appeared on his show. The NHL center joked about visiting the dentist after taking a hockey stick to the face during the gold medal final.

That didn’t seem to matter to Jack Hughes, as he briefly left the ice to deal with the injury before returning to score the winning goal. On social media, McAfee supported Hughes’ request with a concise and straightforward message.

“Let’s get Jack Hughes his puck back,” McAfee wrote on X.

He wasn’t the only one, as the host of Rink Wide: Vancouver, Jeff Patterson, also echoed what McAfee wrote. In fact, Patterson went one step further and offered something in return to the Hall of Fame.

“I fully support Jack Hughes and his effort to get his Olympic puck,” Patterson wrote on X. “If I scored that goal, I’d absolutely want that puck and stick for myself. HHOF can have my gloves.”

However, judging by the Hockey Hall of Fame’s statement, it does seem that neither Hughes nor Keller will ever get to keep their gold medal-winning pucks.