Outside of the USA vs. Canada men’s hockey gold medal game
“We’re very excited,” a Team USA fan said outside the Milan Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena. “This is really our year.” Canada is America’s biggest hockey rival.
MILAN – As the players linked arms and sang at the top of their lungs, “Dream it!” and “We are the champions,” the phone rang.
It was Donald J. Trump.
“In the locker room, the players were wearing presidential clothes, I don’t know what it was, what do you want to call it, FaceTime or something,” coach Mike Sullivan said about an hour after the U.S. men won the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. “He just spoke to the group and expressed how proud he was of the group and congratulated everyone on their win.”
The players and Sullivan all returned to NHL work on February 23, so it was unclear whether the White House visit would happen. The plane was originally scheduled to fly to New York’s JFK Airport, but due to storms in the Northeast, the flight plans were changed to Miami.
Captain Auston Matthews described the moment he heard from the president:
“For us, this is a big moment for America,” Matthews said. “He called me and congratulated me. I think there’s a lot of emotional parts about our return. We’ll see what happens. But obviously it’s an honor to wear this jersey and represent the United States.”
“Going home with a gold medal, you know how much it means to the players in this room, and you know how much it means to everyone watching and rooting for us.”
Sullivan said the game, a 2-1 overtime win over arch-rival Canada, was “an inspiration for our country. I can’t count how many emails I’ve received over the past day or so about the 8 a.m. watch party. From a ratings standpoint, I think a lot of people were paying attention, including the United States and the president.”
Shop Team USA Hockey Gold Medal Gear
