Hughes has ‘Olympic spirit’ watching sons star for Team USA

MILAN -- Imagine looking through the eyes of Jim Hughes, a husband, father and mentor at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

His wife, Ellen, is a consultant for the U.S. women’s hockey team, which plays Canada in the gold medal game at Santagiulia Arena on Thursday.

Their sons Jack and Quinn play for the U.S. men’s hockey team, which faces Slovakia in the semifinals at Santagiulia Arena on Friday (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, NBC, ICI Tele, CBC Gem, CBC [JIP], TSN [JIP], RDS2).

They’ve helped train women and men in each tournament -- and not just Americans. Team Switzerland defenseman Roman Josi has popped in for summer skates at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. Team Canada center Macklin Celebrini is among those who have stayed at Jim and Ellen’s house, and he has stayed with Jack, Quinn and their brother, Luke, at their place.

“We have the Olympic spirit,” Jim said. “It’s been a really enjoyable experience.”

When the U.S. women’s team plays, Ellen sits with general manager Katie Million and her staff. Jim sits with family and friends. At Team USA’s 5-0 win against Team Sweden in the semifinals on Monday, he sat next to Stan Bowman, who is GM of the Edmonton Oilers and part of the management group for the men’s team.

When the U.S. men’s team plays, Jim and Ellen sit with family and friends, including the other parents. One game, they sat with defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s parents. At another, they were with captain Auston Matthews’ folks.

In Team USA’s 2-1 win against Team Sweden in the quarterfinals Wednesday, Jack and Quinn assisted on the first goal by center Dylan Larkin, and Quinn scored the overtime winner. Quinn has six points (one goal, five assists) in four games, tied with Matthews (three goals, three assists) for the U.S. lead. Jack has four points (one goal, three assists).

“We joke and we laugh,” Jim said of he and his wife, “because she’s got a J-O-B, and I’m just like a parent in a supportive role, just helping wherever I can help, spending time with Jack when I can, spending time with Quinn when I can, spending time with Ellen when we can. I’m fluid, and I move around, and I’m really enjoying it, supporting all three of them with their dreams and their job at hand.”

Back home, Jim has a job too, though. A longtime coach who was an assistant with the Boston Bruins from 2001-03, he is the director of player development for CAA Hockey, which represents many NHL players. He runs summer skates at USA Hockey Arena to help players prepare for the season.

“I just have the blow the whistle,” Jim said. “It’s very simple. It’s all built in. The drills are there, and the trick to it is, they push each other, they make each other better, and they challenge each other.”

There is a core group of regulars, including Jack, Luke, Quinn, Larkin, Cole Caufield, Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp, Alex DeBrincat, Adam Fantilli, Connor Hellebuyck, Tyler Motte, Josh Norris, Alex Turcotte, Zach Werenski and Trevor Zegras. Sometimes Matty Beniers stops in. Not only are Jack and Quinn part of the U.S. men’s team in Milan, but so are Connor, Hellebuyck, Larkin and Werenski.

That play Quinn made for the OT winner Wednesday?

“I’ve seen him do it every day in the summer,” Werenski said. “I know it’s a different stage, but when you do it consistently over and over again against some of the best players in the world in the summer, you do it every day in the NHL, why can’t he do it here?”

Others come to visit. One week, Josi was there with Quinn, Luke, Werenski and Jake Sanderson, who is playing for the U.S. men’s team.

“I know it’s a summer skate,” Werenski said. “But if people came and watched how intense they are and how competitive they are … We compete like we’re playing Game 7s. We want to win. When we do battle drills, our team wants to win the day more than that team. It’s just, like, we go at it with each other. …

“To have [so many] guys here from those skates, I think speaks volumes about our group. Jim Hughes deserves some credit there as well."

In the summer of 2023, Celebrini visited before going to Boston University. He was there with his brother Aiden, who was also headed to BU that season, and three players who were in the Western Hockey League at the time: Berkly Catton, Ryder Ritchie and Gavin McKenna.

The teenagers stayed with Jim and Ellen, who would drive them to the rink and back.

“That was just great to get to know all those kids,” Jim said.

Celebrini came back a year later before his rookie season with the San Jose Sharks. No wonder Celebrini looks so comfortable in the Olympics at 19 years old. This is just another example of how he has been around elite athletes his whole life.

“I love him,” Celebrini said, referring to Jim. “It’s awesome. Like, whenever I get to skate with them and be out there with that group, it’s a lot of fun. Yeah, Jimmy’s one of a kind.”

At some point, Celebrini stopped staying with Jim and Ellen. The Hughes brothers live together in the summer in a house on a lake.

“Quinn or Jack just said, ‘Listen, bring him to us, because he’s such a likeable kid. Drop him off, or we’ll pick him up,’” Jim said. “And that was it. I didn’t see him again.

“Him and Quinn were playing golf, and they’d be on the boat, and they’d be training during the day and lifting. But Macklin just fit in so comfortably with my boys that they basically kidnapped him.”

Jim laughed.

“They took him from my house,” Jim said. “He packed up, and the next thing you know he was with the boys at the lake. That was great.”

Last summer, Ellen had U.S. women’s players at the house, including Laila Edwards, Carolina Harvey and Kirsten Simms. Jim enjoyed some ice cream while watching TV with Edwards at night. When she said goodbye, she left a note, telling him to check the freezer. It was full of ice cream.

“She’s such a wonderful person and so thoughtful, and it was really funny,” Jim said.

That was sweet, but not as sweet at this. The women go for gold Thursday. The men fight Friday for a spot in the gold medal game Sunday. Jim will be in the stands, rooting for so many people in so many ways.

“We’re having an enjoyable experience,” Jim said. "We’ve just got to keep moving along here and keep this thing going.”