Jake Guentzel: Hughes family defends U.S. hockey after Trump locker-room call and State of the Union invite
jake guentzel appears in the headline while the fallout centers on President Donald Trump's locker-room call with Team USA's men's hockey team after their Olympic overtime win and the U. S. women's team's decision about a State of the Union invitation. The exchange and the teams' postgame actions have prompted public criticism and a range of responses from players and family members.
Trump's locker-room call after men's 2-1 Olympic gold over Canada
Video surfaced of the men's team speaking with President Donald Trump from the locker room after their 2-1 gold-medal game victory over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday. During the call, Trump joked, "We're going to have to bring the women's team, you do know that. I do believe I probably would be impeached. " That comment drew laughs from players in the locker room.
Quinn Hughes says men's team was "really happy" for the women
Quinn Hughes, who played for Team USA on the men's hockey team, addressed the matter during a Tuesday television appearance and said the men's team was "really happy" for the women's team. He added, "I'm glad you mentioned the women's team again. We're really happy for them. [There's] a lot going around on social media right now surrounding our team and their team, but in the last couple summers, we did a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well. "
Jake Guentzel and unclear involvement
It is unclear in the provided context whether jake guentzel had any direct role in the events described; the available facts focus on Trump's call, the Hughes family, and the teams' postgame decisions.
Jack Hughes, the game-winner, defends the women's team and meeting the president
Jack Hughes, Quinn's brother and the player who scored the game-winning goal in the gold-medal game, defended the women's team in a postgame interview, saying the men's team was "proud" of the women's accomplishment. He said, "People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us. " He also said the team was excited and proud to meet Trump: "Yeah, we're excited. Everything is so political. We're athletes. We're so proud to represent the US and when you get the chance to go to White House and meet the President, we're proud to be Americans and that's so patriotic. "
Women's team declines State of the Union invitation; spokesperson cites commitments
President Trump did invite the U. S. women's hockey team to the State of the Union, but the women's team declined the invitation. A spokesperson for the team said, "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. " The spokesperson added that "due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. " "They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment, " the spokesperson said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Criticism, unity message from Ellen Hughes, and other postgame behavior
Critics questioned both Trump's phrasing and the men's team's reaction, with some saying the cadence of the president's words and the locker-room laughter suggested he felt obliged to invite the women's team and that the men's response was disrespectful to a women's squad that also won gold and, in some accounts, turned in a more dominant Olympic run. Ellen Hughes, the brothers' mother who also represented Team USA hockey and played at the 1992 Women's World Championship with the national team, emphasized unity: "These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country. People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all both the men’s team and the women’s team care about. "
Kash Patel's trip to Italy and the question of attendance at the speech
FBI director Kash Patel drew criticism for flying to Italy and partying with the men's team following the victory; Patel was the person who called Trump in the locker room after the win. The men's team earned their invitation in a Sunday-night call after their overtime victory, but it is unclear if the men's team will attend the State of the Union.
Both U. S. teams beat Canada for Olympic gold
The U. S. women's team beat Canada for the gold medal in Thursday's Olympic women's hockey final, and the men's team beat Canada on Sunday to claim their gold. Those parallel victories form the backdrop to the invitations, comments and subsequent decisions described above.
