Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae has been at the center of heated speculation that she may secretly be dating American Olympic ice hockey hero Jack Hughes. The rumors began when McRae and Hughes were spotted enjoying a cozy dinner together in New York City in November 2025, but since then both parties have remained mum on their relationship status.
Fans worldwide immediately took to Tate McRae’s social media to see if she would express support or post a congratulatory message for Hughes after he was responsible for winning the final gold medal event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. McRae’s absence from social media throughout the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics further fueled the speculation that she may have been in Italy supporting Hughes, or that her congratulations for his Olympic win may have been sent privately. But now the singer has broken her social media silence and reemerged for the first time since the U.S. men’s ice hockey team achieved their historic Olympic gold.
Silence Has Only Further Flamed Rumors of a Romantic Spark Between the Pair
GettyGold medalist Jack Hughes #86 of Team United States celebrates following the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Neither Tate McRae nor Jack Hughes – nor their camps – have denied a romantic spark between the pair, nor have they been officially linked to anyone else from their night out together in NYC in November until the gold medal winning goal in overtime that Jack Hughes scored for Team USA in the 2-1 win against Canada on February 22, 2026.
Tate McRae May Have Sent a Hidden Message About Her Relationship With Jack Hughes
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On her social media, singer-songwriter Tate McRae posted a photo of herself on her stories with a selfie and a pink heart emoji placed on her upper cheekbone to look like a sweet and cute accessorized sticker. Some observers may say that McRae is simply showing that she is loving life and not taking anything too seriously, but on second glance at the photo it’s clear that there are two emojis in her message to the world.
Blended in with her sun-kissed dark blond hair is a second emoji that viewers need to zoom in to see fully. What is it?! It’s a goat!
In her social media post uploaded February 22, 2026 in the hours after Team USA’s win, McRae is sitting in a chair taking a selfie of herself with a goat emoji placed just before an emoji of a pink heart with a blue arrow through it. To an amateur emoji translator, this could mean that Tate McRae is publicly congratulating Jack Hughes for being the G.O.A.T. – aka the greatest of all time, which is a storied term used by Olympians to refer to exceptional achievements in sport which test the human body’s limits – and then a “lovestruck” emoji next to the goat. Does this mean that Tate McRae is lovestruck with the American who became the G.O.A.T. of Team USA when he scored the game-winning goal against her native Canada? Only time will tell for certain.
Tate McRae Breaks Silence to Send Strong Clue About Jack Hughes Relationship