After winning Olympic gold, the United States men’s hockey team received an invitation to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, an event Jake Guentzel opted not to attend.
Amid mounting speculation around the reason behind Guentzel giving the event a miss, the NHL star set the record straight.
Guentzel Amongst 5 U.S. Players Not in Attendance for State of the Union Address
Nearly the entire U.S. men’s hockey roster made the trip to the nation’s capital on Tuesday following President Trump’s invitation. However, five players were unable to make the trip due to various reasons.
Guentzel claims he was not denying the invitation, but that timing prevented him from attending.
Before taking questions about winning a gold medal in the Olympics for @usahockey, #GoBolts’ Jake Guentzel made a statement on his decision to not go to the White House and State of the Union address. pic.twitter.com/rNvh5m2LzN
— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) February 25, 2026
Lightning writer Eduardo A. Encina took to X, where he posted an interview with the one-time Stanley Cup champion.
“Just to go on with the White House stuff, it was a timing thing for me and my family,” said Guentzel. “I was definitely not denying the request to go. It would obviously be a dream come true to go.”
After explaining his decision, the three-time 40-goal scorer recalled his time with the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s upcoming schedule.
“I was fortunate to go in 2017 when Trump was in office,” said Guentzel. “Just thought with the games three and four, we got a lot of games coming up the rest of the year, it’s gonna be a tough schedule.”
The third-round pick ended by expressing how eager he is to get time with his family following the Olympic break.
“Two weeks of Olympic break, thought it would be good to come home, rest and recover, and try to spend some time with my family before we get going,” said Guentzel. “That’s where I’m at with it.”
Along with Guentzel, Colorado’s Brock Nelson, Anaheim’s Jackson LaCombe, Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor, and Dallas’ Jake Oettinger were absent from Washington, D.C. According to reports, Nelson, too, wanted to be with family while the remaining three returned to their respective teams, aiming to get ready for the resumption of NHL competition.
Also absent was the women’s hockey team, which declined President Trump’s invitation. The women claimed timing and prior commitments played a role in not attending.
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This comes after Trump’s phone call with the men’s team, where he jokingly said that if he were not to invite the women, he would be impeached.
Similar to the men, the women defeated Canada in the gold medal game. The thrilling contest also went to overtime and ended 2-1, with the United States’ Megan Keller netting the golden goal to claim victory.
Guentzel and Tampa Bay get back to work in a hurry with games on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
