Jake Guentzel not part of Hughes family response to Trump locker-room call
Jake Guentzel appears nowhere in the postgame conversations, but Jack and Quinn Hughes and their mother Ellen spoke publicly after President Donald Trump phoned Team USA’s men’s hockey team following its gold‑medal win — and the U. S. women’s team has declined the president’s State of the Union invitation.
Jack and Quinn Hughes respond to Trump's locker-room call
The men’s team beat Canada 2-1 in the gold‑medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, and video later showed players on a locker‑room call with Trump. On that 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, " a line that drew laughs from players in the room.
The cadence of Trump's words and the men's reaction prompted criticism. Some observers said Trump's phrasing suggested he would invite the women's team begrudgingly; others said the men's response looked disrespectful to a women’s team that also won gold and produced a more dominant run to the title.
Jake Guentzel: name included in headlines, not in quotes
Quinn Hughes, who played for Team USA on the men's squad, addressed criticism during an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday. He said the men's team was "really happy" for the women and 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. "
Jack Hughes, Quinn's brother and the player who scored the game‑winning goal in the gold‑medal game, defended the women’s accomplishment and said the men’s locker room was "proud" of the women's team: "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. " Jack added the team was excited and proud to meet Trump, saying in part, "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. "
U. S. women's team declines State of the Union invitation
The U. S. women's Olympic hockey team said it is declining President Trump's invitation to attend his State of the Union address. "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. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. " The spokesperson added, "They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment. "
The women's team beat Canada for the gold medal in Thursday's Olympic women's final; their male counterparts beat Canada on Sunday in an overtime victory.
Family perspective and other fallout
Their mother, Ellen Hughes — who represented Team USA hockey at the 1992 Women's World Championship with the national team — said both teams were all about "unity" during the Games: "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. "
Separately, FBI director Kash Patel faced criticism for flying to Italy and partying with the men's team after the victory; Patel was the person who called Trump in the locker room after the win.
What is clear and what remains unclear
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it is unclear if the men’s team will attend the State of the Union. One source trails off mid‑sentence with "Trump's State of the Union will tak" — unclear in the provided context.
Monica Alba is a White House correspondent and Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter; their names appear in the source material provided.
The next confirmed event named in the available material is President Trump's State of the Union; beyond the invitation and the women's decision not to attend because of previously scheduled academic and professional commitments, further details about attendance are unclear in the provided context.
