USA Olympic hockey hero Jack Hughes has shown off his gleaming new smile on a trip to Yankee Stadium on Friday.
Hughes lost most of one tooth and damaged another in the historic Winter Olympics gold medal victory over Canada in February when he was struck in the mouth by Sam Bennett’s stick in the third period.
Hughes then went on to score the winner in overtime to clinch a gold medal victory that has cemented his status as an American hero.
Since then, the 24-year-old has become affectionately known across the United States for his cracked smile as he appeared on talk shows and even helped host Saturday Night Live.
But finally, he has made it into the dentist’s chair. He was a guest of the Yankees on Friday as they faced the Miami Marlins in their home opener for the new Major League Baseball season.
Hughes, a Yankees fan, was joined by USA teammate Aerin Frankel, the gold medal-winning goaltender in Milan for the women’s team.
USA Olympic hockey hero Jack Hughes shows off his new smile at Yankee Stadium
Hughes, 24, had some busted teeth after the USA’s Winter Olympics win over Canada
Hughes, 24, was a guest for the first New York Yankees game of the season at home
They both threw out the first pitches before the game and soaked in the cheers from the Yankees fans before the big game started.
‘I talked to Judge, that was pretty cool,’ Hughes said. ‘I’m a big Yankees fan. When everything went down, this was the one thing I was wondering if it would happen. This is the one thing I was wishing, slash like hoping for.
‘And then Opening Day, wow. This is almost too much, that’s a lot of pressure! But too much fun, and that’s for both of us.’
Hughes had previously told Daily Mail that he had been inundated with offers from dentists to fix his smile.
‘The amount of dentists that have reached out, man, it’s too many,’ he said back in March. ‘But I’m going to get them fixed. I think people will be p***ed if I do get them fixed.’
Hughes and Frankel had some early excitement in the Bronx once the game got underway.
Xavier Edwards put the Marlins ahead with a home run at the top of the first before Aaron Judge answered back with a two-run homer with his first at bat of the season at Yankee Stadium.
