Family Affair | FEATURE

The chant was uproarious. "Luuuuuuuuuuuuke" reigned down from a sold-out crowd at Prudential Center Tuesday evening.
"Luuuuuuuuuuuuke" would be Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, who was making his NHL debut in the contest against the Buffalo Sabres.
After the opening faceoff, the cacophony erupted as the puck hit the stick of the 19-year-old defenseman for the first time in his NHL career.
Hughes, who was part of the starting lineup alongside his older brother Jack, skated a hefty 57 seconds to start the game on his first ever shift in the League.
"It was a dream come true. It was really special," Luke said. "Just to see the fans and hear the crowd cheering, hear how loud it was in that place. With Jacky out there, it was pretty cool. So it was great."

Luke logged 11:15 minutes of ice time with one hit, one takeaway and two blocked shots. But most importantly for himself and his new team, the Devils won the game, 6-2, to lock up home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
"It's super-fast out there. The biggest thing is how intense you have to be to play out there," said Luke, who had played the last two seasons with the University of Michigan. "I think I raised my intensity level throughout the game. Really killed plays, used my skating and my hockey sense to kill plays and find outlets."
Jack played the part of the adoring older brother after the game.
"I'm so proud of him," Jack said. "Everyone in here knows how special of a player he'll be when we're competing for Cups in the next couple years. When Luke's 21 or 22, he's going to be a horse for us."
Also surely doting and looking down from above the ice were two delighted parents, Jim and Ellen Hughes.
And somewhere in Southern California, Quinn Hughes no doubt was watching, at least the beginning of the game. The eldest brother of Jack and Luke suited up for the Vancouver Canucks three hours after Luke's first career shift.
The Hughes siblings already made history as the first three American-born brothers to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Draft. And they weren't just taken in the first round, they were selected high with Quinn going to Vancouver seventh overall in 2018, Jack selected by New Jersey first overall the following year and rounded out by the Devils choice of Luke fourth overall in 2021.
The night wasn't just the beginning of Luke's career. It was also the culmination of a hockey family dynasty.
Jim, Ellen, Quinn, Jack and Luke all were successful staples in their respective hockey careers. Jim and Ellen were decorated college players (Ellen is in the University of New Hampshire Hall of Fame) and now their three sons have reached the NHL.
If there is a First Family of American hockey, there is no doubt the Hughes fit the bill.
"I think it's a dedication to (my parents) and how hard they've worked and how they've brought us up," Luke said. "Having three kids in the NHL is pretty special for them tonight, too."

"In Our Bones"
Something is in the DNA of the three Hughes brothers. As Jack said, hockey is "in our bones."
And that hockey bloodline comes from both parents.
Jim, the pater familias, played collegiate hockey with Providence College. After his playing days, Jim stepped behind the bench as a coach. He served as an assistant coach with his alma mater Providence College before stints with R.P.I. (ECAC), Orlando Solar Bears (IHL), Boston Bruins (NHL), Manchester Monarchs (AHL) and Toronto Marlies (AHL). Jim also moved to the hockey operations department for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Jim was giving real on-ice training to his sons from a coach's eye.
Watching hockey games with their dad was "like watching with an assistant coach," Jack said.
While living in Toronto, the three Hughes brothers honed their early skills on the Wedgewood Park outdoor rink (ODR as they call it). That's where they learned to love the game. That's where they learned the game.
From their mother.
Ellen, like her husband, had a decorated hockey career. She won a sliver medal at the 1992 IIHF World Championship with Team USA, starred for New Hampshire as a three-sport athlete (hockey, soccer, lacrosse) and is in the New Hampshire Hall of Fame.
While Jim was on the road for work, it was Ellen ushering the boys around to different rinks, teaching them how to skate, how to stick handle and how to play the game.
That's not all.
She also taught them "passion for the game, love for the game," Jack said.
That passion and competitiveness translated onto the ice, or sometimes in the basement. In one instance, after a "spirited" game of mini sticks when the trio was young, Jack ended up having to get a couple stitches.
That sibling rivalry helped push each Hughes to play their best to best their brothers. Also helping push the boys to be their best was joining the United States National Team Development Program.
As the three grew, they developed into their own personages. Quinn (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) developed into a swift skating, highly skilled offensive defenseman. Jack (5-foot-11, 175 pounds) became a dynamic lethal superstar forward. Luke (6-foot-2, 184 pounds) has the size and will only grow more into his frame. He's got offensive upside while being a solid defender in his own zone.
But the two things that all three brothers possess is their smooth and fluid skating ability and their high-end hockey IQ.
Both, you could say, they got from their parents.

Milestone(s)
The linkage between the Hughes goes beyond blood. They are in some ways strung together by fate.
Jack went scoreless in the first seven games of his NHL career. But the eighth game occurred at Prudential Center on Nov. 1, 2019. The opponent that night was Vancouver and his older brother Quinn.
True to script, Jack scored his first-career NHL goal with a power-play snipe (Quinn was not on the ice at the time). Jim and Ellen were on hand to see it wearing shirts to split their allegiance.
Jim and Ellen were also on hand to see their youngest son, Luke, play his first NHL game. And with fate again, it coincided with Jack recording his 97th point of the season to break the Devils' franchise record for points in a single season (96, Patrik Elias, 2000-01).
A double shot of history.
"Hopefully I break some more records with Luke around," Jack said before jokingly adding: "It's funny how it worked out. It was better now. With Quinn it was my eighth game of the year. I was sweating like 'I need a goal.'"
Hughes' 97th point came on a goal, his 43rd of the season. And more importantly, he broke the record on the final home game of the regular season.
"I'm really excited that it happened in front of the home crowd," Jack said. "The boys were really excited for me. It just shows how much team success we've had this year. It's great for myself. It's great for the team. It's really good for the fans. I know they were pretty pumped for me."

Brotherly Love
The Devils knew this day would come at some point after the team drafted Luke in the summer of 2021. The day finally arrived nearly two years later.
Luke joined the Devils last Saturday after Michigan lost in the Frozen Four.
After Monday's practice in New Jersey, head coach Lindy Ruff sat down with Luke and went over some video, before subtly dropping in a hint.
"He pulled me into his office," Luke explained. "We were watching video and he said, 'I hope you're ready to play some left (defense), some right (defense) tomorrow.' I said, 'oh OK.' He said, 'did you hear me?' And I was like 'yeah.' It was awesome."
Luke got the message. He was playing in the game. He took his rookie lap by himself prior to warmups and, in a classy move by the coaching staff and Devils organization, the club put both Jack and Luke in the starting lineup.
"I think he had a louder (cheer) than I did when they (announced) Luke Hughes was starting," Jack joked. "I see where I rank."
When told Jack thinks he got a louder cheer, Luke responded: "I love it. That was awesome."
Following the game, both brothers met on the ice to hug and celebrate the victory, and their respective milestones.
"I went up to him (after the game) and told him congrats and he said congrats to me too," Luke said. "It was pretty cool. I'll never forget that one. Super happy for him. He's had a hell of a year and he deserves it."
Jack and Luke have become the third pair of brothers in Devils history, joining Patrik and Peter Sundstrom (1989-90) and Bob and Paul Miller (1981-82).
But most importantly, all three Hughes brothers have made the jump into the NHL, a remarkable feat for the family. And a testament to their upbringing. Luke just became the latest addition to the new family tradition.
"I'm really proud he got Game 1 under his belt," Jack said. "What an accomplishment for my parents. To have three boys play in The Show, that's hard work, man. It just shows how well of a job they did with us as people first, but players as well."
So, how will the Hughes family celebrate their big night?
"I know," Jack said, "my parents will be sitting on the couch watching Quinn."