Us Mens Hockey Controversy Deepens After Locker-Room Call With President, Hughes Family Responds
The us mens hockey controversy erupted after a locker-room phone call between President Donald Trump and the U. S. men’s Olympic hockey team surfaced online, drawing criticism for the president’s phrasing and the players’ laughter. The exchange has produced public defenses from Jack and Quinn Hughes and commentary from their mother, Ellen Hughes, while the women’s team said it could not accept a State of the Union invitation because of prior commitments.
Us Mens Hockey Controversy and the Trump Call
Video that circulated after the men’s 2-1 gold-medal win over Canada shows President Trump congratulating the players and saying, “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that. I do believe I probably would be impeached. ” Some players laughed during the call and engaged in back-and-forth with the president, and that combination of phrasing and reaction prompted criticism directed at both the president and the men’s team.
Ellen Hughes on Unity and the Milan Cortina Golds
Ellen Hughes, mother of Jack and Quinn Hughes and a player development consultant for Team USA women’s ice hockey, called the moment about the country and about unity when she spoke on TODAY on Feb. 24. She described close ties between the squads—men and women sharing dorm rooms, halls and “flex floors, ” cheering for one another—and celebrated both teams’ results at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics: the women beat Canada in overtime and the men beat Canada in a 2-1 final in which Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal, ending the nation’s long drought in men’s Olympic hockey since 1980. Ellen noted both teams went undefeated and called the double gold run surreal and something she could not be prouder of.
Jack and Quinn Hughes Push Back in Interviews
Jack and Quinn Hughes addressed the backlash in media appearances after the video surfaced. Jack characterized the criticism as negativity that seeks reasons to bring people down, telling reporters outside a Miami nightclub that the locker room knew how much the men supported the women. Quinn, speaking on Good Morning America, said the men were excited to accept an invitation to the State of the Union and emphasized how closely the teams worked together in recent summers, training with many of the women and forming friendships.
USA Hockey Invitation Response and State of the Union Timing
The day after the call video circulated on Feb. 22, USA Hockey’s spokesperson said on Feb. 23 that the U. S. women’s gold-medal team was “sincerely grateful” for the invitation but was unable to participate in the State of the Union because of timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games. Team timelines in play: the women completed a 7-0 run through the Olympic tournament, clinching gold in overtime on Feb. 19; the men’s game finished with a 2-1 score and an overtime conclusion, and the two teams were later photographed celebrating together in the cafeteria at 3: 30 a. m. after the men’s win.
Kash Patel, the Locker-Room Call and Postgame Travel
FBI director Kash Patel is identified as the person who placed the locker-room call to the president. Patel has also faced criticism for flying to Italy and partying with the men’s team after the victory. On the call, players were invited to the White House on Thursday—described as one day before the NHL resumes its regular season—though whether that White House event was finalized was unclear in the provided context. Trump’s public schedule lists a 12: 30 p. m. State of the Union luncheon on Tuesday.
Professional Leagues, Rosters and Next Steps
The Professional Women’s Hockey League will resume its season on Thursday, and the U. S. Olympic women’s roster included 16 American players spread across five of the league’s eight rosters. The Olympic roster also contained seven NCAA players, some of whom were slated to play on Friday. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic on Monday that players can decide on an individual basis—an assertion offered as teams and leagues weigh travel and timing around the post-Olympic schedule.
What makes this notable is the overlap of celebration, national events and commercial league schedules: a viral moment in a dressing room has rippled into public invitations, declined appearances, league calendar decisions and scrutiny over who accompanied the team overseas. The men’s and women’s teams’ unbeaten runs, a 7-0 tournament for the women and the men’s 2-1 overtime gold game punctuated by Jack Hughes’s winner, are concrete achievements that sit at the center of the debate as players, family and officials respond.
