Boos rained down on players, but they did not come from the opposing crowd. Instead, they came from the player’s own fans, who had been cheering them on just a month earlier. The frustration between the fan base and the team’s performance was unmistakable, and one player often bears the brunt of that frustration.
The most recent breakdown was the play of young Devils’ Defenseman Luke Hughes on Jan. 4, 2026, vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils, already in a slump this season, needed to come out hard against a division rival. The team started well, but on a play 51 seconds into the game, Hughes accidentally directed the puck into his own team’s net, resulting in a 1-0 score. Hughes, a 22-year-old who just signed an 8-year $8 million contract, was frustrated himself. His head bowed over in frustration as his teammates tried to pump him back up.
The Devils scored later in the second period while trying to clear the puck near goaltender Jake Allen. Hughes once again misdirected the puck into his own net, giving the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead. A lead the Devils would not overcome. The laughs were gone, and the fans’ frustration was present, as a collapsing season neared. It was brutal on the player and team, who have also been frustrated with their play. Captain Nico Hischier requested to meet with reporters to defend the young defenseman, and head coach Sheldon Keefe did the same. The next day, social media was ablaze with the debate over booing your own player. Some are calling it warranted, given the amount of his contract and how his player has performed this season. While others, including most of the traditional media, call it low-class and in poor taste.
