Tate McRae Fuels Jack Hughes Dating Rumors After Latest Outing

Tate McRae is once again at the center of romance speculation, but this time with an NHL star. The 22-year-old pop singer fueled the recent dating rumors with New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes after eagle-eyed fans spotted her in the stands at his latest game on Sunday night. McRae was in attendance at the Devils’ matchup against the Buffalo Sabres at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, adding to weeks of swirling speculation that the two are more than just friends. The timing didn’t go unnoticed either. Sunday’s game marked Hughes’ first appearance back on the ice since November 12, after missing 18 games due to a finger injury, and McRae was there to see it in person.

Social media quickly lit up once fans realized McRae was sitting in the players’ box alongside a few friends. Photos and posts of her presence began circulating online almost immediately, with fans dissecting every angle of the sighting.

Adding to the intrigue, Jack Hughes’ brother Quinn Hughes, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks, was also pulled into the conversation after fans noticed he “liked” an Instagram post about McRae being at the game.

While the Devils ultimately fell to the Sabres 3–1, Hughes managed to score the team’s lone goal, leading some fans to jokingly suggest McRae might have been a good-luck charm.

Rumors linking McRae and the 24-year-old hockey star didn’t start Sunday night. Earlier this month, the two were reportedly spotted having dinner together in New York City’s West Village. According to a source for celebrity news site Deuxmoi, “the entire restaurant was staring” at the pop star, while Hughes “seemed nervous, like he was looking around a lot when they first sat down.”

The reported dinner sighting kicked off speculation online, with fans quickly connecting the dots as McRae has been seen spending more time around NHL circles.

The renewed speculation surrounding McRae and Hughes comes just weeks after the singer reflected on the intense public attention surrounding her past relationship with The Kid LAROI, which marked her first romance in the spotlight as an A-list pop star.

McRae recently graced the cover of Rolling Stone on December 11, where she spoke candidly about how public dissection of her personal life became “really scary” and “overwhelming.” “I would never talk that way, even about my friends’ lives,” the 22-year-old said at the time. “I didn’t realize how much it would affect me, the public knowing my private life, because no one knows the full story of anything, ever. I also hate people painting a situation that’s worse than it is.”

In the same Rolling Stone interview, McRae also confirmed that her breakup with The Kid LAROI took place in June, months after the former couple first sparked dating rumors in January 2024.

Speculation about their split had already been swirling among fans, particularly after LAROI released the song “A Cold Play.” Those rumors intensified when McRae later dropped her Billboard Hot 100 No. 3 hit “Tit for Tat” in September, with listeners dissecting lyrics and drawing their own conclusions about a possible musical back-and-forth between the two artists.

McRae, however, addressed the situation head-on, acknowledging that songwriting is simply part of how both artists process their experiences. “But what I’ve had to realize is that he’s going to write songs and I’m going to write songs, and that’s our way of expressing ourselves,” she said. “That’s our art, that’s our job. And once it’s out there, it’s not mine anymore.”

As rumors continue to swirl around McRae’s appearance at Hughes’ game, the singer appears focused on protecting her privacy while navigating life, love, and career in the spotlight, leaving fans to watch closely but ultimately wait for confirmation, if any, on what’s really going on off the ice.