Abbey Murphy shared her take on the Team USA men’s ice hockey team apologizing to the women’s team after realizing their reaction to Donald Trump’s one-liner was far from what was desired.
The US President invited the men’s team to the State of the Union address, saying he had to call the gold medal-winning women’s team or else he would be impeached. The room filled with laughter, but the players later backtracked to understand their mistake.
Abbey Murphy Defends Men’s Hockey Team after Controversial Call With Donald Trump
Abbey Murphy, a forward and captain for the University of Minnesota, was named to the U.S. women’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. She contributed three assists in a 5–0 win over the Canadian women’s national ice hockey team, marking the first time the American women’s hockey team shut out Canada at the Games.
Meanwhile, the United States men’s national ice hockey team also won gold, underscoring the program’s one-goal approach.
Amid the celebrations, things took a turn when Trump commented that he would have to invite the women to the State of the Union address, or he would be impeached, which led to the men chuckling in the locker room.
Some players reflected and realized what they did was a mistake, and Boston Bruin and US player Charlie McAvoy even apologized, saying:
“Certainly sorry for how we responded to it in that moment.”
In a recent conversation, Murphy addressed the situation when they received the apology, but backed her fellow men’s team, saying they never made them feel bad about anything.
“I mean, we heard the whatever, but you hear someone in the back of the phone call yell two for two, you know, and we never felt anything bad from them. And it was just, it’s sad that they even have to apologise for anything.”
She also commended them and said it was an honor for the women to be on a journey with them, and added:
“We know how much they respect us, and we respect them. So, um, it definitely goes two ways.”
Hilary Knight, one of the best ice hockey players in the history of sports, shared that she was not sure whether the situation stood, and called the controversial statement ‘distasteful’, and further added:
“AÂ moment to refocus the narrative and understand that our worth matters and how we speak about women matters.”
She emphasized that the team earned the celebratory moment and should focus on driving success through the team and inspiring other athletes in the sporting community.
The men’s team attended the White House, whereas their counterparts refused to participate in the event after the controversy.
