Jake Guentzel and the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team’s postgold controversy

jake guentzel appears in broader hockey conversation even as attention focuses on the U. S. men’s hockey team, which capped the 2026 Winter Olympics with a 2-1 gold-medal win over Canada on Sunday and then faced criticism for actions in the hours that followed.

Jake Guentzel and the wider fallout

The victory — the U. S. men’s team taking gold for the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” 46 years earlier — was immediately followed by several scenes that have shifted public reaction. Video emerged of the locker-room call with President Donald Trump in which he said, "We're going to have to bring the women's team, you do know that. I do believe I probably would be impeached. " Players in the locker room laughed at the line, and that reaction drew criticism from some fans and commentators.

The locker-room call and the joke

The cadence of Trump’s words and the team’s laughter prompted scrutiny because the women’s team also won gold at the same Olympics and, coverage of the run, produced a more dominant performance en route to its title. Some critics read Trump’s phrasing as implying a begrudging invitation for the women, and some saw the men’s response as disrespectful to their counterparts.

Kash Patel and the Miami party

The celebrations did not stop at the call. FBI Director Kash Patel, who later chugged beer in the locker room, flew to Italy and partied with the men's team after the victory and is now under scrutiny for using taxpayer money to fund a sports getaway. After returning from Italy, the team had a wild night of partying in Miami, which added to the controversy over optics and proximity to power.

Players' responses: Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes and their mother

Jack Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal in the gold-medal game, defended the men’s team and said the players were "proud" of the women's accomplishments, noting the locker-room was excited to meet the president. Quinn Hughes, a member of the men's team, addressed the situation on Good Morning America on Tuesday, saying the men's team was "really happy" for the women and noting they had trained with many of those players in recent summers. Their mother, Ellen Hughes, who represented Team USA at the 1992 Women's World Championship, said both teams were focused on "unity" and that the players could bring people together beyond regular hockey audiences.

What residents and officials noticed and what they didn’t

Beyond social-media reaction, the scenes touched off political pushback: some team members announced plans to step into the House Chamber and make an appearance at President Trump's State of the Union, a move that many observers say carries clear symbolism in the current climate. A spokesperson for the women's team said it was "sincerely grateful" for an invitation to the State of the Union but could not attend because of "previously scheduled academic and professional commitments. "

Photographs from the celebration period were widely circulated, including images credited to Alexander Tamargo / Getty Images that captured fans and players in the immediate aftermath. The team’s defeat of a seemingly indomitable Canadian squad in the 2-1 final remains the on-ice fact: no one can take that gold medal away from the players.

Looking ahead, some players’ planned appearance in the House Chamber at the State of the Union is the next confirmed public event tied to the postgold attention; the invitation and the women's team’s inability to attend because of prior academic and professional commitments remain central details in the unfolding reaction.