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The U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning men’s hockey team arrived at the White House on Tuesday for their meeting with President Donald Trump, with players also expected to attend Trump’s State of the Union address.
The team made history with its 2-1 overtime victory over Team Canada at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in the gold medal game on Sunday. New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes scored the golden goal to give the United States its first gold medal in men’s hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice team.
Canada has consistently been the most dominant Olympic hockey team in history, winning nine gold medals, a world record. Sunday’s victory also avenged a loss to Canada in the NHL’s 4-Nation showdown in early 2025, which came amid heightened tensions between the two countries over Trump’s tariff policies.
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Trump called the players after Sunday’s victory, congratulating and thanking them during the locker room celebration.
Trump told the men’s team after inviting them to Tuesday’s competition State of the Union that he “should” invite the women’s team, otherwise “I’d probably be fired.” Players laughed in response to Trump’s joke.
Video of the exchange has since gone viral, with some women’s hockey fans criticizing Trump and the male players for ridiculing the women’s team’s gold medal victory, also against Canada. The women’s team has since declined Trump’s invitation to Washington, citing scheduling conflicts.
Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski explained where their American pride comes from as they celebrated their Olympic accomplishment.
President Donald Trump speaks with members of the United States men’s hockey team at the White House in Washington, District of Columbia, February 24, 2026. (Dan Scavino via X)
Larkin and Werenski appeared on PK Press Club Channel “Fox and Friends” Tuesday morning, hours after celebrating their gold medal against Canada in Miami. Both men spoke about what it meant to them to represent the Stars and Stripes.
“I think a lot of us went through the U.S. national team development program… When we were there, you could put on the jersey every day for two years, before you got drafted. We go through training. We’re not military by any means, but they put us through training and they definitely give you a certain pride,” Larkin said. “Once you get through that, you take the jersey off…and every time you take it off, at least for me, I don’t know the next time I’m going to put it on.
“So every time I get a chance to represent the United States of America, I put this jersey on, I’m all in. I love doing it, and it’s just something special. I could talk all day about how great our country is. Just being home and seeing our friends and family, it’s just special.”
Werenski was asked if playing in other countries made him prouder to be an American.
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Jack Hughes (86) of the United States, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime, celebrates after beating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
“I think you’re right. I remember my first World Championships with him were in Slovakia. I went to Denmark, the Czech Republic. They’re all great countries, and you play there, and it’s a lot of fun. The Olympics were in Italy, which is an incredible country,” he said. “When you come back here, you remember how great the United States of America is. And we love representing our country, we love wearing these colors.
“Like Dylan said, we learn it from a young age. We’re allowed to live our dream because of the military – the people who serve, the first responders. It’s just an incredible country. It’s the best country in the world, and we love wearing those colors, and you’re definitely grateful for that when you go play overseas.”
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