After winning the gold medal at the Milan Olympics, the USA men's and women's hockey teams were invited to attend the State of the Union. President Donald Trump's controversial comments about inviting the women went viral just before they declined the invitation. But the men are still going, with 20 of the 25 players attending Tuesday night's speech.
“Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, Jackson LaCombe, Brock Nelson, Jake Oettinger are the five who aren't going,” The Athletic's Sean Gentile reported on Tuesday.
Connor is back with the Winnipeg Jets after playing just one game during the Olympics. “I’m just getting ready. We play on Wednesday. It’s a big second half so I just wanted to make sure I was ready,” Connor told The Athletic's Murat Ates.
Brock Nelson, who scored twice in his Olympics debut, is back with the Colorado Avalanche. Denver Post reporter Corey Masisak reported, “Brock Nelson skipped the White House/DC trip to come back here with his family.” Nelson is expected to play on Wednesday in Utah.
The other players have not spoken to the media. But they all have games on Wednesday, just 24 hours after the State of the Union. That did not stop many of the Team USA players from attending, however. That includes captain Auston Matthews, who is expected to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs against Guentzel's Tampa Bay Lightning.
Trump called the men's team through FBI Director Kash Patel, who made his way to the celebration. On that call, he said that he would also invite the women's team, saying if he didn't, “I probably would be impeached.” Many players laughed, which caused an uproar on social media. The women's team swiftly declined the invitation, citing “academic and professional commitments.”
Many of the USA hockey players will be at the State of the Union after winning the gold medal at the Olympics.
