The New Jersey Devils weren’t expecting to lose their franchise cornerstone at a team dinner, but that’s exactly how a routine night in Chicago turned into a major setback. Jack Hughes, one of the league’s most dynamic young centers, suffered a hand injury after reportedly cutting himself on glass, an incident as unlucky as it is unusual. The Devils confirmed he underwent a successful procedure in New York, but with an expected absence of roughly eight weeks, the timing pushes his return deep into January. For a team relying heavily on Hughes’ play-driving ability, the loss is painful. Yet the NHL has a long and sometimes comedic history of star players sidelined in ways no one could predict.
Jack Hughes’ freak hand injury highlights the long, bizarre history of unusual NHL off-ice setbacks
Jack Hughes’ setback may feel surreal, but he joins a surprisingly long list of players undone by everyday moments gone wrong. Joe Sakic’s snowblower accident remains one of the most infamous. The Colorado Avalanche legend suffered broken fingers and tendon damage in 2008 while trying to fix the machine, ultimately accelerating the end of his Hall of Fame career. That same year, St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson lost an entire season after tearing ligaments in his knee during a golf outing, a freak moment caused when his foot jammed between the golf cart’s pedals.Even simple household or food-related tasks have taken players out of the lineup. Brent Sopel famously missed playoff time after throwing his back out while bending over to pick up a cracker. As Alain Vigneault once explained, “He was trying to pick up a cracker and anybody who has had back problems knows that can happen.” Dustin Penner became a running hockey joke after injuring his back at a pancake breakfast. He later leaned into the humor, teaming up with mayorsmanor.com for a charity “Pancakes with Penner” event.Then there are the downright jaw-dropping moments, like Glenn Healy cutting his hand so severely while repairing World War I bagpipes that he said he “could see bone.”Hughes’ misfortune isn’t the strangest NHL injury ever recorded, but it’s a reminder that even the league’s brightest stars aren’t immune to bizarre twists of fate far away from the ice.
