On Feb. 22, 46 years to the day after the famous “Miracle on Ice,” the USA men’s hockey team won gold against Canada at the Winter Olympics. However, the patriotism in the US did not last long due to the men finding themselves in deep political controversy.
After winning gold, the men went into the locker room to celebrate, along with FBI Director, Kash Patel. According to an NBC News article, written by Isabel Yip and titled “U.S. men’s hockey players regret locker room laughter at Trump’s joke about women’s team,” Patel, who was a guest of the men’s team, called President Trump on his phone to celebrate the team’s win. Trump then invited the team to the White House and joked that he would also have to invite the women’s hockey team, who also won gold, or he would get impeached. The men’s team responded with laughter, which brought criticism from the public. According to an article by ESPN, written by ESPN News Services and titled “Hilary Knight responds to Trump’s comment on women’s team,” the captain of the women’s team, Hillary Knight, called Trump’s remark a “distasteful joke.” The women’s team declined Trump’s invitation to the White House “citing logistics and scheduling concerns.”
As for the men’s team, some team members have already expressed their regret towards their reaction to Trump’s comment. According to Yip, backup goalie, Jeremy Swayman, said that the team “should’ve reacted differently,” and another player, Jake Sanderson, described the reaction as “a mistake.” The captain of the team, Auston Matthews, used the term “unfortunate” to describe the situation and expressed his support towards the women’s hockey team.
Despite the public’s outcry, some people have come to their defense, such as Ellen Hughes, Jack Hughes’ mom, the player who scored the winning goal. According to an interview with Ellen Hughes on Today, she remarked that “at the end of the day, it’s just about the country.” Another person coming to the defense of the men is Abbey Murphy, a player on the women’s team. According to an article from Fox News, written by Paulina Dedaj, Murphy said that the women’s team “never felt anything bad from them. It’s sad that they even had to apologize for anything.” She added that there is “genuine” support and respect shared between the two teams and expressed her belief that the men were “in a tough spot” when in the presence of the president and the director of the FBI.
Whether or not the men deserve the backlash continues to be debated, even after the Olympics concluded.
