Knight, Hughes brothers joke back on Snl after White House dustup

Hilary Knight and Megan Keller joined Jack and Quinn Hughes for a surprise turn on snl during Connor Storrie’s opening monologue, using the comedy stage to respond to President Donald Trump’s remarks about inviting the Olympic hockey teams to the White House. The appearance brought the two gold-medal squads back into the spotlight and offered the women a chance to push back in public after a contentious week.

Surprise cameo with Connor Storrie on Snl

The four players made a surprise appearance during the opening monologue of Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie, with Jack and Quinn Hughes already on stage alongside Storrie when Knight and Megan Keller walked out to a loud, lengthy ovation. All four wore USA jerseys with their gold medals draped from their necks, and the snl writers provided an assist for the lines Knight and Keller delivered.

Trump’s invitation, State of the Union and the impeachment quip

The exchange on stage directly referenced a controversy that began when the men received a congratulatory call from President Donald Trump after their 2-1 overtime win against Canada at the Milan Cortina Games. Trump invited the men to his State of the Union speech and then added he would have to invite the women too; he later said if he didn’t invite the women, he’d risk being impeached. Many players laughed in the celebratory moment and some have since expressed regret.

Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman acknowledged the men “should have reacted differently, ” and Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said he is “certainly sorry for how we responded to it in that moment. ” Knight has called the remark “distasteful and unfortunate. ”

How the golds were won: Knight, Keller and Jack Hughes’ winners

The onstage jokes followed two dramatic Olympic finals in which both U. S. teams beat Canada 2-1 in overtime. Jack Hughes scored the overtime goal for the men, and for the women Megan Keller netted the overtime winner after Hilary Knight tied the score in the final minutes of regulation. Knight also scored the Americans’ first goal in that game, and that gold medal came in what was described as her final Olympics.

Knight plays for the PWHL’s Seattle Torrent and had traveled to New York City a day after being placed on long-term injured reserve. Keller, who plays for Boston, scrambled to New York hours after playing in the Fleet’s 3-2 shootout win at Ottawa earlier in the day. Jack Hughes plays for the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Quinn Hughes plays for the Minnesota Wild.

After the women’s victory, Keller paid tribute to her captain: “She’s the leader of our group, the heartbeat. We don’t get here without her. I can’t say enough great things about her, and to cap off her Olympic career in this fashion, just so happy for her. ”

Travel choices, the White House visit and a July celebration

The U. S. women politely declined the presidential invitation because of travel plans: the players traveled commercially and returned to North America late Monday evening, well after the men, who traveled on a charter flight paid for by the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association. While the U. S. men visited the White House last week, Knight and her teammates said they were too busy to attend and will instead celebrate at an event in July organized by rapper Flavor Flav.

Onstage barbs, medals and the last laugh

Knight opened the SNL bit by saying, “It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys too, ” a clear nod to the invitation flap. Keller added, “We thought we’d give them a little moment to shine. ” Quinn Hughes pointed out that the men’s team hadn’t won gold since 1980 at the Lake Placid Games; Knight shot back that the women’s last gold was in 2018, quipping that it was “two whole Olympics ago. ” Jack Hughes smiled and said, “Nice burn, ” then told Storrie, “These gold medals aren't just for us. They're for all hockey fans, yours too. ” When Storrie asked to try on one of the medals, all four players turned and said, “No. ”

Earlier media moments tied into the week: Jack Hughes also spoke with Pat McAfee about what it was like scoring the game winner for the U. S. men, a conversation that circulated as the controversy unfolded and the teams returned home.