The women’s team captain, Hilary Knight, called the joke “distasteful.”

U.S. men’s Olympic hockey controversy explained: All about the backlash (and how the women’s team responded)

The women's team captain, Hilary Knight, called the joke "distasteful."

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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February 27, 2026 8:05 p.m. ET

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U.S. men's hockey team after winning a gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Credit:

Bruce Bennett/Getty

- The U.S. men's Olympic hockey team faced backlash after players laughed at a comment President Donald Trump made about the women's team.

- Women's team captain Hilary Knight called Trump's remark "distasteful," saying it took attention away from their Olympic success.

- Some of the players on the men's team apologized, while others emphasized the strong bond the two teams share.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games wrapped up on Sunday, Feb. 22, and Team USA had an amazing run. With 232 athletes competing, they set a new record with 12 gold medals, two of which went to the U.S. men's and women's ice hockey teams.

Both squads pulled off thrilling overtime victories against Canada, with the men claiming their first Olympic goal since the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980. Normally, a moment like this would be all about celebrating, but things quickly got messy.

After the men's win, President Donald Trump called to congratulate the team and invite them to the White House in Washington, D.C. But a comment he made about the women's team didn't sit well with a lot of people and quickly became a hot topic online.

So, what exactly did Trump say? Read on as ** takes a closer look at the controversy and shares how the women's and men's teams have responded.

What sparked the U.S. men’s hockey controversy?

The U.S. men's hockey team celebrates a 2-1 victory against Canada for the gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

After the men's team won gold, they headed back to the locker room to celebrate — and FBI director Kash Patel was there with them. A video that quickly went viral shows him posing with their gold medals and chugging beer.

Another clip making the rounds shows the team on the phone with Trump, who praised their "unbelievable" performance and invited them to the White House and his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The team accepted the invitation without hesitation.

But things got a little awkward when Trump said he'd "have to" invite the women's team as well, or else he might be "impeached" for not recognizing their win. Some of the men laughed at the comment, which sparked criticism online, especially since many of them are close with players on the women's hockey team.

How has the women’s team responded?

The U.S. women's hockey team celebrate winning the gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

Sarah Stier/Getty

On Monday, Feb. 23, the women's team officially turned down Trump's invitation, saying they had "previously scheduled academic and professional commitments."

"We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women's Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement," a USA Hockey spokesperson said in a statement via *The New York Times*. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment."

At his State of the Union on Feb. 24, Trump said the women's team would "soon" visit the White House to celebrate their Olympic victory with him.

The following day, USA Hockey clarified in a statement to Front Office Sports, "Players are back competing with their professional and collegiate teams and are in the midst of their season. They're honored and grateful to be invited and any opportunity to visit the White House as a team will be based on their schedules once their seasons conclude."

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Team captain Hilary Knight later called Trump's joke "distasteful," saying it took away from the women's Olympic success.

"We're just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men's and women's at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke," she said.

Knight added that the moment is a "really good learning point" about how women are talked about in sports and beyond: "Women aren't less than, and their achievements shouldn't be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are."

She did point out that the men's and women's hockey teams have a strong relationship.

"I think there's a genuine level of support there and respect," she said, adding that the recent controversy has "overshadowed" it.

"I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it's a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and is overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on," she added.

Forward Kelly Pannek said the men's team was supportive and respectful throughout the Olympics, but when it came to the phone call, she shared,"It's not surprising, to be frank. So I don't know why we expect differently."

Abbey Murphy pushed back against the idea that the men's team disrespected them. On the *Spittin' Chiclets* podcast, she said, "We never felt anything bad from them. It’s sad that they even have to apologize for anything."

Why did five members of the men’s team skip the visit?

Several members of the U.S. men's hockey team are recognized by President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty

Most of the team visited the White House, where they met with Trump and posed for photos in the Oval Office before heading to the State of the Union. During his speech, Trump said he would be awarding U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

However, five teammates — Brock Nelson, Jackson LaCombe, Jake Oettinger, Jake Guentzel, and Kyle Connor — weren't there in person for the surprise announcement. They skipped it due to scheduling issues and the need to focus on the NHL season, with many of their teams scheduled to play on Feb. 25, and 26.

How has the men’s team reacted to the backlash?

Brothers Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes celebrate winning gold medals at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

Gregory Shamus/Getty

Since the controversy started, Jack Hughes, who scored the gold-winning goal, pushed back on the criticism, saying things are "so political" these days.

"We're athletes, we're proud to represent the U.S," he said on Feb. 23, per ESPN. "When you get the chance to go to the White House and meet the president, we're proud to be Americans, and that's so patriotic."

He continued, "Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today. People are so negative out there, and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing."

On Feb. 24, Hughes and his older brother Quinn, who was on the gold-winning team, spoke on *Good Morning America** *about how close the men and women's teams are.

"Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Olympic Village, I think we are so tight with their group," he shared. "After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. in the morning with them."

He added, "I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them. The same way we feel about them, they feel about us."

Zach Werenski celebrates winning the gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

Andrea Branca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty

He later told the media on Feb. 25 that the players were simply caught up in the moment during Trump's call: "Obviously, it is what it is now, but we have so much respect for the women's team, and they have so much respect for us. And we're all just proud Americans, and we're happy we both swept the Olympics."

Their mother, Ellen Hughes, who is a player development consultant for the women's team, backed them up in an interview with *Today*.

"If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing dorm rooms and halls... 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 said.

On the other hand, a few men's players have apologized.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy said he was "certainly sorry for how we responded in that moment," while Jake Sanderson called it "a mistake," and goalie Jeremy Swayman said the men's team "should have reacted differently."

Zach Werenski said it wasn't "a great moment" and "doesn't look great," emphasizing that the team "didn't mean anything by it."

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