US Men's Hockey Controversy: Trump's Joke About Women's Team, Jack Hughes Responds, Flavor Flav Steps Up — February 24, 2026

What should have been a pure celebration of Team USA's historic Olympic gold medal double has exploded into one of the biggest sports controversies of 2026. A viral phone call between President Donald Trump and the US men's hockey team has ignited a firestorm over sexism, the treatment of women athletes, and the political divide in American sports — with Jack Hughes, Ellen Hughes, and Flavor Flav now all at the center of the story.

What Trump Said About the Women's Hockey Team

Following the US men's hockey team's overtime gold medal win over Canada at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — their first men's hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice — President Trump called the men's locker room via FBI Director Kash Patel, who was celebrating with the team. Trump invited the men to attend tonight's State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol and offered to send a military plane.

Then came the comment that sparked everything. "I must tell you, we're going to have to bring the women's team, you do know that," Trump said. "I do believe I probably would be impeached." The players — including gold-goal scorer Jack Hughes — laughed along with the remark. The women's team had also just won Olympic gold over Canada days earlier, and has historically won far more Olympic medals than the men's program.

The US Men's Hockey Team Controversy: What Happened Next

The video of the Trump call circulated rapidly on social media, drawing immediate backlash. Critics slammed both Trump's framing — which many characterized as treating the women's invitation as a political punchline — and the men's team for laughing along rather than speaking up. A MoveOn.org petition called on the men's team to publicly apologize to the women's team and decline Trump's SOTU invitation. Social media posts singled out individual players by name. One viral post highlighted that the men's team had invited Johnny Gaudreau's daughter for a photo op, then laughed at a remark critics said undermined her future in the sport.

FBI Director Kash Patel's presence in the locker room also drew scrutiny, with many questioning the appropriateness of a sitting FBI director celebrating with an Olympic team in a politically charged moment.

US Women's Hockey Team Declines Trump's State of the Union Invite

The day after the viral video circulated, the US women's hockey team formally declined Trump's invitation to the State of the Union. "We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women's Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement," a USA Hockey spokesperson said on February 23, 2026 (ET). "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate."

Jack Hughes Speaks Out: "People Are So Negative"

Jack Hughes, who scored the game-winning overtime goal to clinch the gold, addressed the controversy head-on at a victory party in Miami. "Everything is so political. We're athletes. We're so proud to represent the US, and when you get the chance to go to the White House and meet the president, we're proud to be Americans and that's so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we're super excited to go." On the relationship with the women's team, Hughes pushed back on the idea of any division. "I think we are so tight with their group. After we won the gold medal we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. in the morning with them. People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them."

Ellen Hughes: "It's About the Country"

Perhaps the most uniquely positioned voice in the entire controversy belongs to Ellen Hughes — mother of Jack and Quinn Hughes, and player development consultant for Team USA women's ice hockey. Ellen appeared on TODAY on February 24, 2026 (ET), navigating the story from both sides of the line. "At the end of the day, it's just about the country," she said. "These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country. The other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity and they care about the country." She also described the tight bond between the two squads at the Olympic village — sharing dorm halls, cheering each other on — saying the external political noise did not reflect what she witnessed from the inside.

Flavor Flav Throws the Women's Team a Real Invite

Into the void stepped an unlikely hero: Flavor Flav. The Public Enemy co-founder and rapper — who served as an official sponsor of Team USA's bobsled and skeleton teams at the Milan Cortina Games — took to social media within hours of the controversy erupting to invite the US women's hockey team to a "real celebration" in Las Vegas. "If the USA Women's Hockey team wants a real celebration and invite, I'll host them in Las Vegas. Do some nice dinners and shows and good times," Flav posted. A formal invitation was subsequently sent directly to USA Hockey. Alaska Airlines and StubHub both reached out to Flav offering to help make the celebration happen.

This story continues to evolve. The US men's hockey team is expected to be at the Capitol tonight for Trump's State of the Union address at 9:00 PM ET, while the US women's gold medalists — double Olympic champions in their own right — head home without a White House celebration, but with a Las Vegas party offer in their back pocket.