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NEWARK, New Jersey – It’s been a long few days for Buffalo Sabers star Tage Thompson. He scored a crucial goal for Team USA in the team’s semifinal match against Slovakia, then helped the United States defeat Canada on Sunday to win the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Thompson admitted after Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo’s first NHL game since the Olympic break, that he was tired, rusty and slow on the ice. But most fans don’t know that. Thompson scored Buffalo’s first goal of the night and assisted on the second as the Sabers earned a 2-1 victory over the Devils.
Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, right, and Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabers gesture to fans before an NHL hockey game in Newark, New Jersey, February 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Jack Hughes, a Devils star and Team USA skater who scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Canada, was honored by the team in a pregame ceremony. Hughes made an incredibly elegant move and brought Thompson to center ice, so the crowd could cheer on the two men together.
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Yet as impressive as Thompson’s return to the ice was, the story for much of the media following Team USA’s historic gold medal victory revolved around the team’s trip to the White House and appearance at President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Visit to the White House and photo of the MAGA hat that sparks negative reactions
Thompson, in particular, found himself in the crosshairs of the radical left media mob because he was photographed wearing Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” hat alongside press secretary Karoline Leavitt and several teammates.
Karoline Leavitt shared a photo on social media posing with Deputy Director of Communications Margo Martin and several members of the U.S. team. The photo included Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, Jack and Quinn Hughes and Buffalo Sabers forward Tage Thompson. Both Hughes brothers wore red and white Americana hats, while Thompson sported a “Make America Great Again” hat, sparking widespread reaction on social media. (Karoline Leavitt via Instagram)
I asked Thompson after the game if he had a response to the criticism of his hat choice.
“I’m proud to be an American, I have my own faith, my own beliefs, and everyone is equally entitled to their own opinions and beliefs,” Thompson said diplomatically while sitting at his locker after the game. “I think we should be able to live in peace knowing that not everyone will agree with you.”
While talking about Thompson’s faith, I also asked him about his Christian beliefs that helped shape everything in his life.
“Jesus is everything to me. Obviously, we are made imperfect. We are all sinners and we need him. And I fail every day, and he’s who I rely on,” Thompson said.
Tage Thompson (72) of the Buffalo Sabers celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils in Newark, New Jersey on February 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
“I think when you have that sense of hope, the grace and mercy that I receive every day from him is something that gives me peace and joy in life no matter what I do. And he blessed me with this game and this opportunity to play the game that I love at a high level, beautiful family and friends, people that I love surround me. And I’m just very grateful.”
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I think American hockey fans can confidently say they are grateful to Tage Thompson and all the players on the Team USA men’s hockey team who helped win one of the most monumental gold medals in United States Winter Olympic history.
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