Jake Guentzel headline aside, Team USA’s Olympic hockey gold is shadowed by a postgame backlash
The U. S. men’s Olympic hockey team’s long-awaited gold has been overtaken by controversy in the days after the win — and jake guentzel unclear in the provided context.
Men’s gold and a locker-room call that raised eyebrows
The U. S. men beat Canada in the Olympic gold-medal game on Sunday, a victory that sparked national celebration after three regulation periods and an overtime. Video of the men’s team speaking to President Donald Trump from the locker room showed the players laughing when 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 reaction, and the cadence of the remark, drew criticism from some observers who said the exchange suggested the women's team would be invited begrudgingly and that the men's response was disrespectful to the women.
Jake Guentzel in the headlines — and where he fits
Jack Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal in the men’s final, defended the women’s team and the locker-room reaction, saying the men were "proud" of the women’s accomplishment and that "everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them. " Quinn Hughes, asked about the call on Good Morning America, said the men's team was "really happy" for the women and noted the men had trained with many of the women players in recent summers.
Women’s team declines State of the Union invite
The U. S. women's gold-medal team politely declined an invitation to the State of the Union address on Tuesday. "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 women’s team said released Monday. "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. "
Different travel plans and tight scheduling
Each U. S. hockey team arrived in Miami on Monday. The men's team flew by charter to Miami earlier Monday; the women took a commercial flight and were scheduled to land in Atlanta. Many of the women players were not set to arrive in North America until Monday evening, and they did not learn of the State of the Union invite until late Sunday night, making it difficult to change travel plans. Scheduling complications are heightened because the NHL season resumes with five games Wednesday and the PWHL returns Thursday.
Party in Miami, a presidential call and criticism of an FBI director
After returning from Italy, members of the men’s team celebrated in Miami. The players partied in the locker room and later in the city; FBI Director Kash Patel flew to Italy to join the celebration, called Trump in the locker room after the win and also shared in the postgame partying. Patel has come under fire for flying to Italy and partying with the men's team and is now under scrutiny for using taxpayer money related to a sports getaway. Some members of the men's team announced plans to appear in the House Chamber at the State of the Union, a move that added to the scrutiny.
Voices from the teams and the crowd reaction
Matthew Tkachuk of the men’s team described the return to Miami as "a whirlwind" and called the victory "a dream of ours; it was such an amazing way to unite the country, " saying the team felt support the moment their plane landed. The scene across the country after the win—strangers high-fiving in bars, grownups hugging with wet eyes—briefly suspended politics for the length of three heart-stopping periods and an overtime. The wider debate about the optics of the presidential call and the teams' postgame choices has cut into some of the goodwill from that celebration.
Ellen Hughes, mother of Jack and Quinn Hughes and a former Team USA player who represented the U. S. at the 1992 Women's World Championship, said both teams were about "unity" during the Games and noted the players can bring people together across political lines. Vice President JD Vance attended two of the U. S. women's preliminary-round wins with his family over the first week of the Games.
When Trump extended the invitation to the men's team on Sunday night he repeated the line about needing to bring the women's team. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of both teams.
Alexander Tamargo / Getty Images captured images from the immediate aftermath of the win that accompanied early coverage of the celebration.
Next: the State of the Union address on Tuesday remains the immediate public event tied to the invitations; the NHL schedule resumes Wednesday and the PWHL returns Thursday, and the teams continue recovery and travel plans tied to their professional and academic commitments.
