NJ Gov Mikie Sherrill booed at Devils game honoring US Olympic hockey hero Jack Hughes

MS Now political contributor Symone Sanders complained about the gold-medal winning U.S. men's hockey team allowing themselves to be used as political pawns by Trump during his State of the Union address Tuesday. (Credit: MS NOW - Feb. 24, 2026)

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was booed by fans attending the NJ Devils hockey game at the Prudential Center on Wednesday.

The game marked the NHL return of Team USA Olympic hero Jack Hughes since he scored the winning goal against Canada in the gold medal game on Sunday.

Sherrill was in attendance to welcome Hughes and other Olympic players back to stateside ice, but when she was announced by the PA spokesperson for the ceremonial puck drop, the Newark crowd erupted in relentless boos for her and her husband, Jason Hedberg.

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Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils during a pregame Olympic Ceremony with New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Devils Owners David and Allison Blitzer on Feb. 25, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images)

Still, Sherrill went on to make a social media post that included photos of her, Hughes and other players, celebrating the gold medal. Sherrill was mocked in response, as many critics pointed out how loudly she was booed.

"You managed to somehow get booed loudly during the most festive thing at the Rock ever," one X user wrote.

Another user wrote, "Didn’t everyone boo you?"

Sherrill has been a target of criticism from patriotic Americans dating back to her 2025 campaign, when it was revealed she was kept from participating in her Naval Academy commencement due to disciplinary action involving midshipmen stealing test answers in a particularly