For the first time in two decades, a sports video game gets a Jewish cover athlete. Or three.
From left to right: Luke, Quinn and Jack Hughes pose for a photo before their NHL game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Dec. 5, 2023. (Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)
(JTA) — Jack and Luke Hughes play for the New Jersey Devils, and their brother Quinn plays for the Vancouver Canucks, so the trio of NHL stars are no strangers to sibling rivalry.
But there’s at least one place where the brothers won’t have to compete: All three Hughes will grace the cover of the 2025 edition of EA Sports’ popular NHL video game.
They are the first brothers to earn cover honors on the series, whose latest edition is called “NHL 25.” According to ESPN, they are believed to be the first family featured on the cover of any sports video game franchise. The game’s deluxe version will feature all three brothers together, while the U.S. version will showcase Jack and the Canadian and international editions will spotlight Quinn.
3 Brothers
1 Unforgettable CoverPre-order #NHL25 now https://t.co/vOCVstuvnF pic.twitter.com/K9uP3jexsD
— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) August 22, 2024
“I think all of us are just honored because it’s a hard thing to be on the cover and there’s so many great players in the league,” Quinn Hughes, 24, told ESPN. “For them to decide to attach their brand with the three of us was pretty cool.”
This is not the first time the brothers have made familial NHL history. On Dec. 5, 2023, all three Hughes appeared in the same NHL game when Jack and Luke’s New Jersey Devils beat Quinn’s Vancouver Canucks 6-5 in what was dubbed the “Hughes Bowl.” Jack tallied three points, Luke scored a goal and Quinn had two points of his own.
The only other Jewish athlete to appear on the cover of a sports video game is Shawn Green, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger who appeared on the cover of MLB 2004.
They were the first trio of Jewish brothers to play in the same NHL game, the second American family to accomplish the feat, and the ninth set of brothers to do it in the sport’s history.
Hockey runs in the Hughes family. Their father Jim, who is not Jewish, played hockey for Providence College and has worked as an assistant coach and front office executive for NHL teams. Their mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, who is Jewish, was a three-sport athlete at the University of New Hampshire and played for the U.S. women’s hockey team at the 1992 Women’s World Championships. Weinberg-Hughes was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame this year.
The Hughes are also the first American family to have three siblings picked in the first round of the NHL draft. Quinn was selected seventh in 2018, Jack became the first Jewish player to go No. 1 overall in 2019 and Luke was drafted fourth in 2021.
Since the three brothers broke into the league, they have each enjoyed considerable success, leading to their star turn on the cover of “NHL 25.”
Quinn, who was named captain of the Canucks prior to last season — making him the youngest active captain in the NHL — was an All-Star and won the NHL’s James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league’s best defenseman last season. Jack, 23, is a two-time All-Star who in 2022-2023 set a Devils franchise record with 99 points. Luke, 20, was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie team last season after a record-breaking career at the University of Michigan.
Now, each brother can add “video game cover athlete” to their resumes.
“This is obviously a pretty special accolade and something I think every NHLer wants to accomplish or grows up and thinks, ‘Wow, it’d be really cool to be on the cover,’” Jack Hughes said. “We were the same way growing up, and it’s another really special opportunity that we grabbed at when it came toward us, and I think we’re really excited with the final product.”
Louis Keene contributed reporting.
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