Typically, a broadcaster’s remarks don’t find their way into a postgame scrum; there are usually more pressing matters at hand. But when an opposing broadcaster — or analyst — accuses a player of intentionally trying to embarrass a team, it becomes a question that has to be asked — and a quote that needs to be heard.
Thankfully, the question landed with Jack Hughes, whose response was just as electric as his goal-scoring prowess.
The New Jersey Devils star attempted a flashy one-handed breakaway move against Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin during the first period of the Devils’ 5-1 victory. While Shesterkin denied the attempt with a sharp save, none of it sat well with Rangers analyst Steve Valiquette.
Steve Valiquette accused Jack Hughes of trying to embarrass Igor Shesterkin on a breakaway tonight, and Jack’s response was straight up confusion 😭😅 pic.twitter.com/WOUXITkgbN
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 3, 2024
The former goalie turned Rangers hockey analyst for MSG viewed it as a deliberate attempt to show up the Blueshirts’ netminder.
“I don’t like that because Hughes set out to embarrass Shesterkin with one hand,” said Valiquette. “And that should send a shockwave to everybody on the bench. I know in my day, [former Rangers right wing] Colton Orr would’ve been hanging over the bench, banging his stick, saying, ‘I’m coming after you,’ because you tried to embarrass us.
“And that’s blatant disrespect. And I’m sort of surprised I didn’t see a response from the team that way.”
Perhaps they didn’t see it that way; the 23-year-old Hughes certainly didn’t.
“What did he say?” Hughes asked, almost perplexed at the insinuation.
When the reporter repeated that Valiquette thought Hughes was trying to embarrass Shesterkin on the breakaway in question, Hughes just stared dead into the camera.
“Yeah, I don’t even know what that means,” he said. “Like, what does that even? I don’t even know what that means.”
No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative. It gets the people going.
On a more serious note, one of the league’s most talented players simply tried to score a goal against one of its top goaltenders.
That’s all there is to it.
Nothing more, nothing less.
