ellen hughes and the roots of a hockey family
published april 9, 2025
you’ve heard of hughes your daddy, but have you heard of hughes your mommy?
before the world knew quinn, jack, and luke’s names, there was ellen weinburg-hughes. born in st. louis, missouri but growing up in dallas, texas, she played soccer on one of the best teams in the country and hockey on the boys team. she was outrageously talented and persistent to play, despite the lack of opportunities for young girls in hockey.
in 1986 she was in the first batch of women to receive a unh women’s sports scholarship. attending on a soccer scholarship, it was her experience in dallas that made her confident she could also secure a spot on one of the most successful hockey rosters in the country. when soccer season ended, renowned coach, russ mccrudy, told her she had a week to get up to par with the other girls who had been skating since september. after just her first practice, she had made the team. that same year she also secured a spot on the school’s varsity lacrosse team, despite no prior experience with the sport: and she didn’t just make the team, she excelled. they made it to the final four, losing in the semis. ellen would go on to captain both the unh soccer and hockey teams. she graduated in 1990 before pursuing her masters, all while graduate assistant-coaching her former hockey and soccer teams. in 1994 she was also an advisor for norway’s women’s hockey team.
familiar with the u.s.a women’s national hockey team that took home silver at the 1992 world championships? ellen weinberg played defence and was named to the all-star team of the tournament - the first ever. she was also dedicated to securing a spot on the women’s olympic hockey team set to compete at the 1998 olympics for the first time in history, but unfortunately a knee injury ended her professional career.
post-injury, ellen transitioned into reporting for sports television (which is where she met now husband, jim hughes). during recovery she had a broadcast internship before working for espn where she covered women’s world cup soccer and the gold-winning 1998 women’s olympic hockey team. she worked as a reporter for 15 years before leaving the position. in 2012, ellen was inducted into the unh athletics hall of fame.
ellen is the base of the pyramid which is the hughes’ brothers skills. when she left her position as a sports reporter, she became a full-time hockey mom. she taught each of the boys how to skate, the prime foundation of their now flourishing, successful nhl careers. due to jim’s career with the boston bruins and toronto maple leafs, he was often on the road and skating was something ellen enjoyed doing, so she would frequently take the boys. i think it’s important to note how none of the three boys were forced into the sport. i think it’s really beautiful they all found their own deep-rooted love for it, especially when that’s how their parents met and something they also share. eventually, free skates turned into practices, hockey teams, and in the blink of an eye, three nhl draftees in the top 10. there is much more detail i could go into regarding the hughes’ brothers, but i'd like this article to primarily focus on the personal achievements of ellen as women are not always recognized.
since luke was drafted in 2021, ellen has joined the u.s.a women’s national team staff (october, 2023) where she works as a player development consultant. for those of you who don’t know the responsibility of this job, ellen is responsible for performance and data analysis, implementing long-term career goals and assisting with strategizing how to reach them, mentorship, and skill development. her contribution to players growth on and off the ice has and will continue to play a pivotal role in team performance. in addition, she was inducted into the jewish sports hall of fame in 2024 for hockey and joined the usa hockey foundation board.
when we look at the background and career of ellen, it’s no surprise her boys have turned out the superstars they are. from personal development and training, to helping her own boys and other players reach their highest potential on and off the ice, it’s about time we give her the recognition she’s long owed.