Amid the chaos, Patel whipped out his phone to call Trump, who invited the men\u2019s team to the State of the Union address on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The president then joked that if he did not invite their female counterparts \u2014 who also beat Team Canada <\/a>in overtime to win the gold days prior \u2014 \u201cI do believe I probably would be impeached.\u201d <\/p>\n The men roared in laughter. <\/p>\n That moment captured on video has since spurred outrage online, prompting a slew of negativity toward the men\u2019s team, who appeared quick to diss their female teammates to agree with Trump. (One player could be heard in the video saying \u201cabsolutely\u201d when Trump said he had to invite the women, while another shouted \u201ctwo-for-two,\u201d acknowledging the men\u2019s and women\u2019s gold-medal victories).<\/p>\n The episode has devolved into a heated back-and-forth online between fans who are disavowing the men for laughing at Trump\u2019s remark and others who feel there is a rush to judgment amid a brief moment of unity for the country. Meanwhile, conservatives have lauded the players<\/a> for making unabashedly patriotic statements following the win, talking up how proud they are<\/a> to be American.<\/p>\n The controversy comes amid a unique year for hockey, after the sport has garnered new fans through the Olympics and the popularity of \u201cHeated Rivalry<\/a>,\u201d a hockey romance show centered on gay relationships. The National Hockey League has embraced<\/a> the show<\/a> as part of a years-long effort to expand the sport\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n Despite the online backlash, it seems the men\u2019s hockey team may be planning to attend the State of the Union<\/a> after a brief stop in Miami. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would \u201csqueeze in\u201d the players by finding seats for them in the House chamber, following Trump\u2019s request to make room for the team. <\/p>\n Tuesday afternoon, many on the Olympic team were pictured outside the White House<\/a>, gold medals around their necks. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to see them and we\u2019re going to celebrate them tonight,\u201d House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said at a Tuesday news conference about the men\u2019s team.<\/p>\n The women\u2019s team, however, declined Trump\u2019s invitation, with a spokesperson saying the team \u201c<\/a>deeply appreciate[s] the recognition of their extraordinary achievement\u201d but could not attend the State of the Union because of prior commitments. The team also did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by NBC News. (Some members of the women\u2019s team have liked Instagram posts<\/a> critical of the men\u2019s team\u2019s response<\/a> to Trump\u2019s comment.)<\/p>\n The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Dominik Ha\u0161ek, a Hall of Fame former NHL goalie who has been outspoken on a number of issues, including the war in Ukraine, lauded the women for rejecting Trump\u2019s invitation. <\/p>\n \u201cYes, your president is a big liar and a fraud who abuses his position to insult and bully his fellow citizens,\u201d Ha\u0161ek, who is Czech, wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cStill, I believe you must have shown a great deal of heroism in making this decision. Thank you for that.\u201d <\/p>\n As an alternative to the State of the Union, Flavor Flav invited the women\u2019s hockey team to Las Vegas<\/a> for \u201ca real celebration,\u201d which he said would include \u201csome nice dinners and shows and good times.\u201d (He added that he\u2019d be inviting the skeleton and bobsled teams, too.)<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw the story about the men\u2019s invite to the White House, and the not quite invite for the women\u2019s team,\u201d Flavor Flav wrote in what he said was a \u201cformal invitation\u201d sent to the women\u2019s hockey team<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIf there is an interest for the team to come to Las Vegas and celebrate with Flav \u2014 we will figure it out on our end and make it a lovely experience,\u201d the invitation added. <\/p>\n It was not immediately clear whether the women had accepted Flavor Flav\u2019s invitation. <\/p>\n Jack Hughes and his brother, Quinn Hughes, who emerged as the most recognizable names for Team USA throughout the Games, are now facing scrutiny for their reaction to Trump\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re so proud to represent the U.S. and when you get the chance to go to White House and meet the president, we\u2019re proud to be Americans and that\u2019s so patriotic,\u201d Jack Hughes told the Daily Mail on Monday<\/a>. \u201cNo matter what your views are, we\u2019re super excited to go to the White House tomorrow and be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n There were critical comments made about the administration during the games. Skier Hunter Hess<\/a> said representing the U.S. is \u201ca little hard\u201d right now, considering \u201cthere\u2019s obviously a lot going on that I\u2019m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren\u2019t.\u201d In response, Trump called Hess \u201ca real loser.\u201d <\/p>\n The Hughes brothers also came under fire for laughing at Trump\u2019s comment because their mother, Ellen Hughes, is a famed women\u2019s player who <\/a>serves as a consultant to the women\u2019s team. <\/p>\n She told the \u201cTODAY\u201d show<\/a> that double gold medals \u201csays so much for USA hockey and where our sport is in this great country.\u201d <\/p>\n When asked about the video of the men\u2019s team talking to Trump, she said \u201cit\u2019s all about the country,\u201d and said that people from both sides of the aisle were celebrating the men\u2019s and women\u2019s gold medals. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women \u2014 that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity and they care about the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the backlash, Jack Hughes told \u201cTODAY\u201d<\/a> on Tuesday that the support he has felt since scoring that golden goal has been incredible. <\/p>\n He added that when he scored the game-winning goal, he thought of Megan Keller, who scored a golden goal days before to win the women\u2019s tournament. On Monday, Keller posted a photo on Instagram<\/a> of the two athletes embracing with their gold medals. <\/p>\n \u201cIf there was a camera on me and Quinn when the women\u2019s team won, we look like the biggest superfans of all time,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cWe were just jumping up and down. We couldn\u2019t believe it \u2026 One of my first thoughts was her, and I am just so proud to join her as a gold medalist.\u201d <\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/patel-m1jnui.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771964232_12_260219-usa-womens-hockey-olympics-win-vl-435p-d533e4.jpg\")
Team USA’s players celebrate after winning the women’s gold medal ice hockey match against Canada on Feb. 19.Julien De Rosa \/ AFP – Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Hockey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260222-olympics-hockey-gaudreau-vl-141p-e3d58e.jpg\")
Team USA’s Dylan Larkin holds Johnny, the son of the late player Johnny Gaudreau, after defeating Canada.Petr David Josek \/ AP<\/p>\n