Team USA wins gold medal in men’s hockey final vs. Canada
USAT’s Helen St. James breaks the men’s hockey gold medal game, giving the United States its first gold medal since the “Miracle on Ice” 46 years ago.
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President Donald Trump warmly welcomed most of the U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team inside the Oval Office on Tuesday, February 24, just two days after a thrilling overtime victory over Canada in the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, with the NHL season set to resume Wednesday, five members of Team USA reportedly did not participate in the trip.
Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning was one of the prominent U.S. players who did not board the Air Force C-32 aircraft sent to Miami International Airport by the Trump administration to take the U.S. team to Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D.C.
President Trump invited the men’s hockey team to visit the White House and attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address to Congress, and spoke with players and coaches during a locker room celebration in Milan. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, forward Matthew Tkachuk, center Dylan Larkin, Golden Goal Scorer Jack Hughes and his brother Quinn Hughes will lead 20 Team USA members on a trip to the White House and could attend President Trump’s State of the Union address later Tuesday night.
Celebrate Olympic hockey gold with a new book
These 5 US Hockey Players Didn’t Attend the White House or President Trump’s State of the Union
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel, Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson Lacombe will not be in Washington, D.C., along with the rest of their U.S. Olympic men’s hockey teammates, according to multiple reports.
The Denver Post reported that Nelson did not go to the White House to be with his family before the Avalanche’s game in Utah on Thursday. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Guentzel is in Tampa even though he was not on the ice for the Lightning’s practice on Tuesday. The Sports Tribune reported that Lacombe was scheduled to return to Southern California on Tuesday night, and WFAA reported that Oettinger had already returned to Dallas before his White House visit began on Tuesday.
According to The Athletic, Conner also returned to the Winnipeg Jets’ ice for Tuesday’s skate, and then spoke to reporters about returning to the NHL team.
“We’re getting ready. We’ll play on Wednesday,” Connor said. “It’s an important second half, so we just wanted to make sure we were ready.”
Did President Trump invite the U.S. women’s hockey team?
Yes, but the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team declined the White House’s offer to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address. The researchers cited “timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments” as reasons for this.
When President Trump called the U.S. men’s hockey team after winning the gold medal and offered to provide military aircraft for the State of the Union address and visit to the White House, he also said, “I have to tell you, we have to bring the women’s team, you know that?”
Trump jokingly added that if he didn’t invite the women’s team, “I’m pretty sure I’d probably be impeached.”
Conner on Tuesday sidestepped questions about the president’s remarks at the U.S. team’s locker room celebration.
“I don’t really think about it,” he said. “There’s so much going on. I just won the gold medal and there’s so much going on that I don’t really remember what he said. It’s been really whirlwind and I’m just celebrating.”
“I’m very happy for them,” Quinn Hughes said in an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” referring to the reaction to President Trump’s locker room remarks. “Obviously there’s a lot going on on social media surrounding our team and their team right now, but we’ve had a lot of training with them the last few summers and I actually know a lot of those girls really well. We’re very happy to be able to come.”
