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Singer Tate McRae at the MTV Video Music Awards.
This one, if true, might not sit so well with her countrymen and women.
Rumors have swirled for some time that Team USA hockey star Jack Hughes is dating pop superstar Tate McRae, who just happens to be Canadian.
Love can make us do some crazy things.
Hughes and Team USA were headed into the 2026 Winter Olympics quarterfinals against Sweden on Wednesday in Italy, where they’re trying to win America’s 1st gold medal since the “Miracle On Ice” squad won at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
Hughes, 24 years old, is an Orlando, Florida, native who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. He plays for the New Jersey Devils, where he signed an 8-year, $64 million contract extension in November 2021.
McRae, 22 years old, earned her 1st Grammy Award nomination in 2026 for her song “Just Keep Watching” in the Best Dance Pop Recording category.
“McRae and Hughes were seen having an intimate dinner date in New York City in November of last year,” Sports Illustrated’s Grant Young wrote on February 14. “And after McRae attended Hughes’ first game after suffering an injury at the end of 2025, more fans began believing these two were a couple.”
McRae Becoming One of World’s Biggest Stars
In the world of pop music, McRae’s career has been on a rocket ship the last few years, including winning a pair of MTV Video Music Awards in 2025 and had her first arena tour, the Miss Possessive Tour, in 2025.
McRae’s 2025 album, “So Close To What” debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 — her first No. 1 studio album of her career.
With that territory comes a certain level of attention that means whoever McRae dates will also end up in the spotlight.
From 2021 to 2023, McRae dated another NHL center with Columbus Blue Jackets star Cole Sillinger, the son of former NHL star Mike Sillinger.
McRae also briefly dated Australian rapper and singer Kid Laroi in 2024 and 2025.
Hughes: Hockey Prodigy From Early Teen Years
Like McRae, who was just 13 years old when she shot to fame on “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2016, Hughes has been preternaturally gifted at his chosen profession for some time.
Hughes first gained fame as a hockey prodigy during his teen years, growing up in Toronto before moving to Michigan as a teenager and in 2018 won the Dave Tyler Junior Player of the Year Award as the best American junior hockey player.
The Devils drafted Hughes just one month after his 18th birthday, signed him to a 3-year, $11.325 million rookie contract and scored his first NHL points and goals that October, becoming the 3rd youngest player in franchise history to do so.
Hughes, a 3-time NHL All-Star, is playing in the Olympics for the 1st time but has had quite a bit of experience on the international stage with Team USA, most notably earning Tournament MVP honors at the U18 World Championships in 2018, where he also brought home the award for Best Forward.
Off the ice, Hughes’ profile has also continued to grow — he was featured on the cover of the EA Sports NHL 2025 video game.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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