TAMPA, Fla. — After visiting the White House and meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said he hopes the U.S. Olympic hockey gold medal victory can “bring more unity to the country.”

Matthews captained the United States to its first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980. In the aftermath, the U.S. team has come under scrutiny for accepting an invitation to visit the White House and for comments Trump made on a call with the team. Trump said he “probably would be impeached” if he did not also invite the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team. The women’s hockey team declined an invitation to the White House, citing scheduling reasons.

“The team that wins the Stanley Cup every year accepts the White House invitation to go,” Matthews said, speaking before the Leafs’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. “So I just think it is something that you do because we are proud Americans, whatever your political beliefs may be.”

Matthews was asked how he weighed his decision to visit the White House, considering that he plays for a Canadian NHL team and Trump has continued to make comments about Canada becoming the United States’ 51st state.

“To me, I don’t like to get political or get into that kind of stuff,” he said. “Like I said, we’re proud Americans and winning a gold medal, it’s been 46 years since the men’s ice hockey team has done that. Hopefully, something like this will hopefully bring more unity to the country and stuff like that. But for us, we believe it’s a great honour no matter who’s in office.”

Matthews was asked about Trump’s phone call to the team and the reaction.

“It was unfortunate,” he said. “We love the women’s team. We support them. The night we won the gold medal, we were hanging out in the dining hall until like three, four in the morning. It’s unfortunate that occurred. We have nothing but love and respect for the women’s team and what they were able to accomplish. And it’s amazing that the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams are both bringing home gold medals for the United States of America. And I think that should be talked about more than the other. But we’re extremely proud of them and happy for them and we support them 100 percent.”

During his visit to the White House, Matthews posed for photos and shook hands with Trump in the Oval Office.

“It’s special,” Matthews said. “I think all of us are proud Americans and doing something like that, winning a gold medal, obviously representing your country, it felt like it was a special honour to be invited. It’s an honour. So it was pretty neat to go there and see everything and just kind of get to share that experience with everybody.”

Of the 25 players on the U.S. Olympic team, five did not attend the White House meeting. Three more, including Matthews, did not attend the State of the Union Tuesday night, where the team was once again honoured.

Matthews, who arrived in Tampa on Tuesday evening, said on Wednesday that he wanted to prepare for his first game back with the Leafs instead of attending the speech.

Whether members of the United States team would rejoin their NHL teams in time for their first games back has become a talking point throughout the league. On Tuesday, Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed that Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin would not play in the Golden Knights’ first game back Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings.

The U.S. Olympic team travelled from Milan to Miami on Monday, then attended a party at a nightclub.

“It’s been a pretty whirlwind 72 hours, to be honest,” Matthews said. “It was an incredible experience from start to finish. Just being able to go over there and be an Olympian and represent and be in that atmosphere and from the village to the games and just all the amazing things that happened over the last couple of weeks, I feel very grateful to have been a part of that. And then obviously to win a gold medal is truly very special.”

The Leafs sit six points out of the final wild-card spot with 25 games remaining. They will need Matthews at his best to fight for one of the final playoff positions.

Matthews has battled injuries through an up-and-down season, but still has 26 goals and 48 points through 51 games.