Wild’s Quinn Hughes to appear on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘The Tonight Show’
There’s something about international hockey that puts the game in a larger spotlight, especially in the United States.
In the wake of the United States’ gold-medal win over Canada at the 2026 Olympics, Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes will find himself on televisions across North America for a different reason than usual, as he’ll be making appearances on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo.
Quinn Hughes to appear on ‘SNL’ and ‘The Tonight Show,’ brother Jack may join him on both By @JoeSmithNHL and me nytimes.com/athletic/artic… via @NYTimes
Hughes will certainly collect a ton of air miles to appear on both shows while also playing with the Wild. After the Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Thursday, they don’t play again until Sunday, which gives him plenty of time to fly from Denver to New York to film Saturday Night Live on Saturday. Then, after flying back to Minnesota on Sunday for the Wild’s game against the St. Louis Blues, Hughes will return to New York to film The Tonight Show on Monday, and then fly back to Minnesota once again to make Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Quinn’s brother Jack, center for the New Jersey Devils and the “golden goal” scorer for the United States at the Olympics, may also join the Wild defenseman on both shows. It will be significantly easier logistically for Jack to make both shows considering New Jersey’s proximity to New York. However, Jack is currently only guaranteed to appear on The Tonight Show, as the Devils have Monday off and are playing in New Jersey on Tuesday. He may also appear on Saturday Night Live if the Devils can return to New Jersey soon enough after their Saturday matchup in St. Louis at 5 p.m. ET.
Quinn’s appearance on this particular Saturday Night Live will be a fitting one, as it’s the show which Connor Storrie is the guest host. Storrie is best known for his role as Ilya Rozanov in the hit hockey romance/drama Heated Rivalry. The decision to have Hughes join the show has come with a bit of controversy though, as many don’t like affiliating the defenseman with the pro-queer show after he had celebrated his gold medal win at the White House with Donald Trump. The Trump administration has held strong views against the LGBTQIA2S+ community and their rights, particularly the trans community.
It’s not the first time international hockey has resulted in players getting the opportunity to appear on talk shows. While the Hughes brothers are taking center stage after the Olympics, it was the Tkachuk brothers who got the attention after 4 Nations Face-Off last year. Matthew Tkachuk appeared on The Tonight Show and Good Morning America after the tournament, although it was much easier logistically for him to make those appearances, as he was out of the Florida Panthers lineup due to a torn abductor and a sports hernia.
Hughes has performed at his usual level this season with five goals and 53 assists for 58 points in 53 games with the Wild and Vancouver Canucks. He also had a goal and seven assists for eight points in six games for the United States in their gold-medal win.