The gold medalists walked down the press gallery aisles as President Donald Trump received loud applause and cheers when he recognized the men’s gold-medal-winning Olympic hockey team during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
The team, which secured victory with a thrilling overtime match against Canada to claim U.S. gold for the first time in 46 years, waved as members of Congress chanted “USA! USA! USA!” The president praised them by declaring: “Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud: the men’s gold-medal Olympic hockey team! Come on in!”
Trump added: “I just want to say … a very big congratulations to Team USA.” He later announced he would bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Earlier Tuesday, the team had visited the White House as guests of the president, drawing criticism for accepting the invitation. New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes defended the decision: “Everything is so political. We’re athletes… We’re so proud to represent the U.S., and when you get the chance to go to the White House, meet the president, you know, we’re proud to be Americans, that’s so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House and just be part of that.”
The women’s hockey team also won Olympic gold but declined the presidential invitation due to previously scheduled commitments. Hughes supported their choice: “People are so negative out there, and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing… I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them. And we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”
