Tate McRae & Jack Hughes' Rumored Dating Timeline Just Got Hotter

Tate McRae was falling for hockey players long before Heated Rivalry made it cool. From 2021 to 2023, the Canadian pop star dated NHL player Cole Sillinger, then used his sport to throw a bit of shade at him in her hockey-themed “Greedy” video. Now, it appears that McRae is finding love in the ice rink once more — this time with New Jersey Devils center and Olympic gold medalist Jack Hughes.

McRae’s love life has been kind of a rollercoaster in recent years. After she broke up with Sillinger, she dated fellow pop star Kid Laroi throughout 2024 and into 2025. Their breakup in the summer of 2025 was infamously contentious, with both singers releasing cutting songs aimed at their ex.

But she seemed to bounce back from that relationship. By the end of 2025, McRae was linked with Hughes. Although the two have yet to officially confirm if they’re an item or not, a few romantic dinner dates and a very telling Instagram photo have fans convinced that McRae is back in the hockey game.

November 2025: Dating Rumors Started

McRae and Hughes’ rumored love story started the way any good celebrity couple gets launched: with a Deuxmoi post. The celeb gossip site shared a pic of McRae on a romantic dinner date in the West Village on Nov. 21. But funnily enough, it took a little bit to identify Hughes as her companion — the site referred to him as an unknown man with a broken arm.

Thankfully, hockey fans were quick to point out Hughes had an arm injury at that time, and it indeed was him in the photo.

December 2025: They Were Spotted Together In NYC

The rumored couple was spotted again roaming the streets of New York about a month after their dinner date.

Feb. 4, 2026: Tate Had Conflicting Loyalties For The Olympics

As the Winter Olympics in Milan were approaching (which Hughes was competing in), McRae found herself in a bit of controversy when she appeared in a commercial supporting Team USA. She later confirmed she’s still supporting her home country of Canada in the athletic events, although it would make sense for McRae to also want to show her rumored boyfriend’s team some love.

Feb. 22, 2026: Tate Posted An Instagram Story After Jack’s Olympics Win

There’s no better time place to soft launch than the Olympics podium. After Hughes scored the winning goal for Team USA in the men’s hockey finals, McRae appeared to subtly show him her love.

After Hughes got his gold medal, McRae shared a selfie on her Instagram Story with a goat emoji and a heart emoji, seemingly a subtle message to her love achieving G.O.A.T. status with his win.

March 2026: Tate & Jack Have Reportedly Made Things Exclusive

While McRae and Hughes haven’t outright confirmed anything, an Us Weekly source finally has. On March 4, the outlet reported that the two are an item, and revealed how the relationship began.

“Tate and Jack are dating,” the source said. “They started casually seeing each other late last year, so it’s still new, but they are exclusively seeing each other.” Apparently, it was Hughes who kickstarted the romance when he “initially messaged her on IG and started a conversation.”

“She thinks he is a really cool guy and they have been having a lot of fun together,” the source continued. “She has been so supportive of his career and has been loving going to the games and cheering him on. ... They are making it work during this busy season, but hope to have more time together next month when his season ends. Tate thinks he’s really sweet and it’s going well so far."