The Hockey Hall of Fame will not return Jack Hughes' gold-medal-winning puck from the Milan Cortina Olympics, despite the New Jersey Devils star's request. Philip Pritchard, the Hall's vice president, confirmed the puck is now part of their permanent collection after being formally donated by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Hughes scored the game-winning goal against Canada's Jordan Binnington in overtime, securing the U.S. men's first Olympic gold since 1980's Miracle on Ice. The puck, along with Megan Keller's women's gold-medal goal puck, was displayed at the Hall of Fame this week. Hughes expressed frustration, telling ESPN he believes the pucks belong to the players who scored them.

International tournaments operate under different rules than NHL games, where players typically keep milestone pucks. Since 1998, the IIHF has collected and authenticated Olympic items before donating them to the Hall. Pritchard explained that as a Canadian nonprofit charity, the Hall must maintain legal documentation for all donations, making it impossible to return the puck to Hughes.