Oh, you thought New Jersey Devils fans were gonna sit quietly after watching their franchise star get wrecked on live TV? Yeah, no. Jack Hughes is currently trending after a brutal collision that ended with Hughes clutching his arm, it is serious. And the biggest plot twist? There was no penalty on Jack Eichel. Now fans are straight-up demanding justice—and by justice, they mean someone better call Toronto and hand Eichel a penalty, like yesterday.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman summed up the chaos in real time, posting on X on March 3rd, “Sheldon Keefe said postgame NJ will need time to determine true diagnosis. Hopefully not as bad as it looks. Keefe was ejected, unhappy there was no penalty. There was zero attempt to injure, but Hughes had been penalized for interference earlier on a similar play.”

So, this is how it happened. March 3rd, Golden Knights at Devils. Two minutes or so remaining in the third period, and Hughes—the New Jersey cheat code human—is checked by Eichel. All seemed fine until it didn’t. Jack Hughes was slammed into the boards behind the net, immediately grabbed his arm. Coach Keefe? He was already half way to losing it, and after witnessing the hit, he just lost it. He got himself ejected after snapping at the refs, because—surprise—they blew this one too.

For the record, the Devils lost 2-0, so the vibes were already trash. But here’s the kicker—Hughes actually got penalized earlier in the game for interference. And that penalty? It looked eerily similar to what Jack Eichel did to Hughes. Except when it was Eichel, the refs put their whistles in their pockets like they were scared to wake up Gary Bettman. Now, Devils fans are straight-up demanding a penalty for Eichel, and they’re not exactly asking politely.

The Refs woke up New Jersey’s entire fanbase regarding Jack Hughes and it’s personal now

One fan said, “Should had Eichel been assessed a penalty?” Let’s break this one down like we’re explaining it to a non-hockey person at a party. In the NHL rulebook, interference is addressed in Rule 56. If a player “checks or physically interferes with an opponent who does not have possession of the puck,” that’s a penalty. Guess what? Jack Hughes didn’t possess the puck when Jack Eichel ran into him. That’s textbook interference. And because Hughes literally left the ice holding his arm in visible pain, it’s not hard to see that this wasn’t some little collision. Fans aren’t imagining things—the rulebook receipts are there.

“Should’ve been a major. Any play that results in an injury, whether clean or dirty, must be penalized,” okay, this fan’s cooking with facts. The NHL actually has Rule 48 for hits resulting in injury to the head, and Rule 58 for boarding (which is what happens when you shove someone into the boards recklessly). Even if Eichel didn’t mean it—and no one’s saying this was some Ryan Reaves revenge tour—the result matters. Hughes is out, the Devils are toast if he’s gone long-term, and that’s exactly why major penalties exist. Clean play? Doesn’t matter if the guy leaves the ice needing an MRI.

“We should also suspend the shooter when a player gets injured blocking his shot.” This one’s straight-up sarcasm, but lowkey? It highlights something important. NHL fans have been arguing forever about “result vs. intent.” Should penalties and suspensions be based on the actual injury or just the act itself? In other words, do you punish the outcome (Hughes injured) or only the action (Eichel’s hit)? It’s the same debate we saw when Aaron Ekblad got crunched—clean hit, devastating injury. NHL discipline is basically a coin flip right now, and fans are tired.

Then came, “New to hockey I see thats not how it works” and “hate the devils but FUCK EICHEL AND HIS TEAM sorry jack.” First off, the newbie fan got a little hockey lesson here—but the second fan? That’s just clean Devils fury unleashed. And speaking frankly, they are not wrong. Jack Hughes has 27 goals and 43 assists in 62 games this season. That’s literally the man keeping the Devils’ playoff hopes afloat with duct tape. Losing him at this point in the season, with the trade deadline that is looming as near as March 7, is disastrous. And when it happens because of a non-call? Yeah, Devils fans are gonna hate Eichel and the whole Golden Knights squad for life. This isn’t just about a hit—it’s personal.