The USA Men’s Hockey Team attended the President’s State of the Union address and was greeted with an almost two-minute bipartisan standing ovation. The United States’ Men’s Hockey team’s Olympic gold is nearly historical: a first since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” at Lake Placid, New York.
However, Donald Trump’s contentious joke about inviting the Women’s Hockey Team to the State of the Union has given the entire episode a political turn.
Now, Ellen Hughes, the mother of brothers Jack, Luke, and Quinn, and an Olympian herself, has clearly stated where she stands on the issue.
Ellen Hughes Addresses the White House and the USA Hockey Controversy
Emotions inside the USA Men’s Hockey locker room after their win over Team Canada at the Milano-Cortina Olympics ran wild and unchecked. FBI Director Kash Patel joined the players to celebrate their victory, and President Donald Trump also called to congratulate them over the phone. An invitation soon followed, and Trump joked about running the risk of getting impeached if he did not invite the Women’s Hockey Team, which had also emerged victorious over Team Canada.
Trump’s joke was not well received by many quarters, and the players of the Men’s Hockey Team were at the receiving end of significant social media backlash for entertaining the President’s questionable humour. The fact that Hilary Knight and her teammates declined Trump’s invitation, citing scheduling conflicts, did not help the situation.
Ellen Hughes, who has been closely associated with the Women’s Hockey Team, believes that beyond all the politics and internet discourse, what counts is that both teams have earned the honour for the United States of America.
“At the end of the day, it’s just about the country… That’s all the men’s team and women’s team care about,” Hughes stated during an interaction with the NBC Today Show.
Hughes underlined the esprit de corps that naturally flowed between the Men’s and Women’s teams as they spent time together in Italy.
“If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie 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.”
The Men’s Hockey Team’s meeting with Trump went very well, with the President heaping praise on all the players who orchestrated the team’s phenomenal success at Milano-Cortina. “I want to thank you all. What a special job you did. What special champions you are,” Trump said, per PBS News.
The President of the United States also said that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who played a critical role in the gold medal game, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Despite all the chatter surrounding the episode, things may have finally quietened down with the players’ return to the United States. After all, the NHL season will resume with a slate of action Wednesday onwards.
