Devils announcer Don La Greca rips people who have made ‘narrative’ about American team

Don La Greca may be biased as he gets to see Jack Hughes play every night, but the New Jersey Devils play-by-play announcer couldn’t help but defend America’s newest hero and his teammates.

La Greca joked that he came close to deleting social media in the wake of the U.S. men’s hockey team winning its first gold since 1980. The Devils’ announcer pleaded with both sides that Hughes was simply scoring for the United States, not for either Democrat or Republican.

“I’m not coming from either side — both sides were embarrassed of themselves…” La Greca said on his ESPN New York radio show, “Don Hahn & Rosenberg.” “He’s a hockey player who scored a goal. And that’s all he cares about. And he loves being an American.”

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But one caller thought it was a “bad look” for the men’s team to laugh after President Donald Trump said he would “have to” invite the women’s team to Tuesday’s State of the Union.

“It’s only a bad look because that’s how someone wanted to paint it… People picking comments, people trying to get a reaction, they’ve been supportive,” La Greca said. “Jack’s mother was involved in the women’s fight. Can we stop? Please stop! If you want to call [with that sentiment]don’t call…

“We can’t have nice things. Would you believe that? Good for you. But this can’t be the first conversation we’ve had — it’s not even 24 hours old, and it’s the conversation people want to have. It’s ridiculous.”

La Greca and his hosts then discussed Kash Patel’s presence in the locker room.

“What were they going to do, throw him out of the room? Half of them didn’t even know who he was. That’s the problem I have. All of a sudden now, everyone is thrown out, ‘Oh, it must be MAGA because Patel was in there.’ It’s unfair,” La Greca said.

USA’s Jack Hughes (86) poses with teammates after a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

“The fact that someone tweeted out that the men laughed when Donald Trump suggested that he invite the women, now the narrative is that they were laughing at the women who were invited. We have no idea why they were laughing. Trump said, ‘I’m going to be impeached if I don’t invite them.’ there, when they won the gold medal, Jack’s mom is part of the team, that they all don’t want the women to be in the White House? Someone shaped it to be that way, so some chicks out there believe it.

“Maybe they laughed. But there was no one in the room to know. That’s what some people want to make it. They have an agenda that men are sexist and women shouldn’t be in sports because that’s what some on the right think. So let’s drag it over to the left, or the right tries to drag it over to the right, instead of just letting it be.”

Hughes told reporters after the game that the first thing on his mind when the puck went in was Megan Keller, who scored the golden goal for the U.S. women’s team against Canada three days earlier.

Hughes’ brother, Quinn, who scored an injury-time goal against Sweden last week, said it was “fantastic to spend some time” with the women’s team in the Olympic village.

“And so obviously [watching] them, me and Jack were there, we watched them win the gold medal. They came to our game and were able to see us,” he said. “So just the support back and forth, just to get to know them a little bit better was also special.”

Jack Hughes of the United States celebrates with his national flag after scoring his second goal in overtime to win gold on February 22, 2026. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo)

The women’s team declined an invitation to Washington, DC, citing scheduling conflicts. Several members of the men’s team will be in attendance after partying in Miami on Monday.

The NHL season resumes on Wednesday.

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