"Sports/life can break you down, can be unfair": Jack Hughes pens heartbreaking message after suffering season-ending injury

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Mar 07, 2025 15:18 GMT

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New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes will not play the remainder of this season due to a shoulder injury. The 23-year-old had surgery on Wednesday and is expected to fully recover before training camp. His absence is a big loss for the Devils as they push for a playoff spot.

Hughes shared his thoughts in an Instagram post, expressing his disappointment and determination.

"Some thoughts I wanted to share," Hughes wrote. "Sports/Life can break you down, can be unfair. All the preparation, sacrifice, emotion, training, toughness you put into a year can be wasted within a matter of seconds."

The injury happened in the Devils’ 2-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Hughes was tripped into the boards during a short-handed play late in the third period. He left the ice holding his right shoulder, and tests later confirmed he needed surgery.

Hughes further talked about how this difficult journey will be a new learning curve for his hockey career.

"I know I’m not the first athlete to face the challenges that comes with injuries, and I certainly will not be the last," Hughes said. "But this is another hill to climb. The more adversity I face, the more I will believe in myself, the deeper I will dig into who I am, in the pursuit of being the best version of myself.

"I am excited to work towards recovery so I can continue to pour my heart and soul into the game I love."

Hughes further thanked his family, teammates and fans for their support and said:

"I look forward to doing what I enjoy most in front of you for many years to come."

The Devils have 19 games left in the regular season. They are third in the Metropolitan Division, four points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, they have struggled lately, going 9-11-3 since the start of the year. They also rank 30th in the NHL in goals per game during that span.

New Jersey Devils' captain Nico Hischier on Jack Hughes

Jack Hughes has been one of the Devils’ best players this NHL season. He leads the team in goals (27), game-winning goals (7) and shots on goal (229). His 70 points are tied with Jesper Bratt for the team lead. Losing him would be tough for the team.

"It's obviously a big loss for our team but we had some talks already about it," Devils captain Nico Hischier said on Tuesday (via NHL.com) "I think right now, we just got to dig in. I think we all know that Jack would've loved to be here with us playing in Dallas."

Jack Hughes was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and has become one of the league’s top young stars. In 368 career games, he has 351 points (141 goals, 210 assists). He also represented the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off last month.