Hilary Knight, captain of the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team, appeared on ESPN’s Sports Center on Wednesday and called President Trump’s invitation to the White House an “unpleasant joke.”
invitation The remarks came after President Trump welcomed the men’s team by phone as celebrations continued in the men’s locker room following their 2-1 overtime victory on Sunday for the gold medal.
“I have to say, we have to bring in a women’s team, and you know that,” Trump said on speakerphone with FBI Director Kash Patel, who was seen on video celebrating with his team.
President Trump said he would “probably be impeached” if the women’s team wasn’t invited. His response drew laughter from those in the locker room.
On Thursday at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, the women’s team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime with Knight scoring the game-tying goal in the final minute to win the third gold medal in Olympic history.
The women’s team declined an invitation to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address, citing prior academic and professional commitments.
in ESPN interviewKnight, a five-time Olympic medalist, said the controversy surrounding President Trump’s invitation “overshadows the many successes, the only women who competed as part of the U.S. Olympic team and accomplished the incredible gold medal feat.”
In a locker room video that went viral on Sunday, several members of the men’s team can be heard laughing at the suggestion that the president could be impeached for not inviting the gold medal-winning women’s team.
The exchange between male players Trump and Patel caused a huge backlash after the video went viral on social media.
“I should have reacted differently,” Team USA and Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman said Wednesday. “We are very excited about the women’s team and have so much respect for them. Sharing the gold medal with them is something we will be forever grateful for.”
When asked about how the men’s players reacted to the women’s offer to visit the White House this week, Knight described the laughter in the locker room as “a quick decision.”
Despite the friction, Knight emphasized his pride in the men’s gold medal win, noting that both teams should celebrate a historic week for U.S. hockey rather than weathering political turmoil.
“I think they were in a tough position, so I think it’s a shame that this story and story kind of exploded and overshadowed that connection and that genuine interest in each other and encouraging each other,” Knight said.
Rapper Flavor Fluff, who served as Team USA’s promoter in Italy, has personally offered an invitation to the women’s team. via social media He called for a “real celebration” in Las Vegas on Monday.
Knight said he had hoped to celebrate the team’s accomplishments with the Public Enemy stars in Las Vegas, but commitments with players from the PWHL and college teams prevented an immediate party.
Some of the men’s teams who flew to Washington on a military plane received six minutes of praise from President Trump during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
“Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do,” Trump said. “To prove that point, here with us tonight to prove the perfect thing is a group of winners who have made an entire nation proud, the gold medal winning Olympic men’s hockey team.”
President Trump vowed in his address to the nation that the women’s team would visit Washington “soon,” but Team USA has not yet announced any future visits.
jack hughesThe Devils, who scored the winning goal in overtime to give the U.S. men’s hockey team the gold medal, made their long-awaited return to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night against Olympic teammate Tage Thompson and the Buffalo Sabres.
Both received enthusiastic applause from the Prudential Center crowd. Hughes thanked his fans for their love and support.
After the Devils’ 2-1 loss, Hughes addressed the impact of the past few days and said he wasn’t surprised by the conversation surrounding the team’s celebration.
“Obviously, there are so many different people in this country and so many different views. So no matter what’s going on, somebody’s going to like it and somebody’s going to not like it,” Hughes told reporters.
“For us, it was about celebration. Celebrating USA Hockey, celebrating our teammates, celebrating our group. Like I said, we just had so much fun together and enjoyed the moment together.”
The 24-year-old recounted how President Trump called him into the locker room and asked if he agreed with the women’s team and the talk from Swayman earlier in the day.
“That’s the situation right now, but we have a lot of respect for the women’s team. They’ve done a lot for us and we’re all proud Americans and we’re happy that we both won the Olympics,” Hughes said.
Earlier in the week, Hughes dismissed the growing political debate surrounding the incident and reiterated that the team was just “hockey players” when asked about his attendance at the White House and State of the Union on Tuesday.
“We’re just hockey players, right? So, we did our job. We went to the Olympics to win a gold medal and that’s what we did. I had the best time of my life celebrating with my teammates for achieving a goal. Like I said, I’m a hockey player,” Hughes said. “I’m really proud to be back in the States and celebrate the gold medal. Being able to do it with my teammates is the best part.”
Knight characterized the recent controversy as a “really good learning point in terms of how we talk about women, not just in sports, but in industry. Women are not inferior, and women’s achievements should not be overshadowed by anything other than how great women are.”
Knight’s final tying goal in the Olympic finals in Milan cemented the veteran’s place in U.S. hockey history, making her the all-time women’s Olympic goals and points leader.
She is scheduled to return to the ice on Friday with her professional team, Seattle Trent of the PWHL.