Fresh off a thrilling 2–1 overtime victory over Canada in the Olympic gold medal game, Team USA’s men’s hockey squad received a surprise congratulatory call from President Donald Trump, along with an invitation to attend Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. The invitation was extended to the women’s hockey team as well, which also took home Gold.
As players celebrated in the locker room, FBI Director Kash Patel appeared with President Trump on the phone. The president, who said he had been watching the game, offered praise for the team’s performance, particularly goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, whose stellar defensive effort anchored the win. Hellebuyck plays for the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL.
“And by the way, your goalie played not bad,” Trump joked during the call. “I have seen hockey goalies have slightly worse games than that. Unbelievable, and you were all unbelievable. And that team was pretty good, you played.”
Team USA secured the dramatic overtime win thanks to a disciplined defensive showing and clutch play in net from Hellebuyck, who turned away repeated Canadian scoring chances to keep the game within reach before the Americans sealed the victory.
As congratulations turned into conversation, Trump extended a spontaneous invitation. “I tell you what, I just told my people two minutes ago, I didn’t know they’d be calling,” he said. “We’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I could send a military plane or something. If you would like to — it’s the coolest night. It’s the biggest speech.” Before the president could finish the offer, one player quickly responded: “We’re in.”
Another teammate added with a laugh, “Can you pick us up in Miami on Tuesday morning?”
Trump assured the team that logistics would not be an issue. “The nice thing about being president is I can tell you, you don’t have to worry about the weather or land,” he said. “We don’t care if it’s snowing, if it’s the worst blizzard, we’ll be sailing through that city just like you did in the ice.”
The president also mentioned hosting the team at the White House and presenting medals, noting that the women’s team, which won the gold on Thursday, also defeating Canada, would be included as well. “We have medals for you guys,” he said. “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team — you do know that.”
Trump closed the call by telling the players their victory would be remembered for decades. “You’re going to be proud of that game for 50 years as you grow older,” he said. “It was amazing. So we love you guys. Congratulations.”
