The USA hockey teams swept the gold medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. But because we can’t have nice things in this country anymore, the incredible triumphs have been swamped by political drama.
Almost immediately after the Star-Spangled Banner was done playing after Team USA defeated Canada in an instant classic — thanks to Jack Hughes’ overtime goal in the gold medal game — the win became the subject of political fodder. FBI director Kash Patel was partying in the locker room on taxpayers’ dime like he was the one who scored the goal, even having a medal draped around his neck.
Things went from bad to worse when Donald Trump called the team and invited them to Tuesday’s State of the Union address to honor their accomplishment. But the beleaguered president couldn’t let the moment pass without making a joke at the expense of the women’s team, who also won gold, saying he would have to invite them to avoid being impeached again.
The way the men’s team laughed along in the locker room made for an awkward moment that has now been dissected and used by both sides of the political spectrum.
The women’s team politely declined an official SOTU invite due to professional and academic commitments. And it’s cast a totally unnecessary cloud over what should be a universal celebration of one of the most incredible events in international competition for the entire country.
Team USA stars Jack Hughes and brother Quinn Hughes addressed the situation Tuesday morning on Good Morning America. And they made sure to give proper credit to the women’s team and share their true feelings on the matter amid the firestorm.
“On top of that, I know that there’s been so much headlines about us and the women’s hockey team and the video. We hung out, we were in the cafeteria with them until 3:30 in the morning,” Jack Hughes said as his voice gave out.
When asked directly about the State of the Union situation by George Stephanopoulos, Quinn Hughes again stated his support of the women’s team.
“We’re excited to go. It’s something you don’t get to do. I don’t know what day it is, every Tuesday. But it’s going to be special for us. I’m glad you mentioned the women’s team again. We’re extremely happy for them. There’s a lot going on on social media right now surrounding our team and their team, but the last couple of summers, we did a lot of training with them. We got to know a lot of those girls really well,” Hughes said before his connection broke up.
The Hughes’ mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, also talked about the saga in an interview of her own on Today. When asked about the political entanglement, she also took the high road, speaking about the unity of the men’s and women’s hockey teams. Weinberg-Hughes serves as a player development consultant for the Team USA women’s program.
“If 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 — that’s what it’s all about,” she told Today. “And the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity, and they care about the country.”
As Mike Tirico reminded everyone, sports are loved for their ability to bring people together. But that changes once the most divisive government in modern US history goes out of its way to insert itself into the story and use it for its advantage.
Jack and Quinn Hughes obviously mean well in their comments and in their hopes that the USA women get the respect they deserve. Hopefully, that is the message that endures, along with the joy both teams brought to the country after winning their respective gold medals in Milan.
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