U.S. men’s hockey star Zach Werenski makes State of the Union decision after Olympics originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Zach Werenski dished out the assist that won Team USA the gold medal.
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And for that, he and his teammates are receiving quite the honor upon their return from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
They were invited to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address, which is Tuesday night.
According to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, “(Werenski) and his USA teammates are expected to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address.”
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That’s the opposite decision of the U.S. women’s hockey team, which announced Monday that it would not be attending the State of the Union.
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Werenski and his teammates flew into Miami on Monday as they returned to the U.S. from Italy.
They spoke with President Trump on the phone after their win on Sunday, and now they’ll get recognition in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.
Werenski certainly earned his plaudits. It was his hustle after a puck in overtime that won a 50-50 battle with Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon, and then he picked his head up in time to dish a smooth pass to Jack Hughes, who slotted in the sudden-death, game-winning goal for gold.
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Schedule-wise, this will be easier for some players than others.
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The NHL resumes play from the Olympic break on Wednesday. There are eight games that night, meaning 16 teams’ worth of players.
Werenski, though, won’t have a game on his schedule until Thursday. His Columbus Blue Jackets return to action that night against the Boston Bruins.
With the State of the Union on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, anyone planning to play on Wednesday for their NHL team won’t be around long before taking the ice.
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