On Sunday (February 22), the U.S. men’s ice hockey team won an exciting and classic gold medal battle at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, creating Olympic legend again after 46 years. President Trump congratulated them and invited them to participate in the presidential State of the Union address.
After the Sunday game, FBI Director Kash Patel was celebrating the victory with the team in the locker room. He held up his phone on speaker for the players, and President Trump on the other end spoke directly to them.
“I’ll tell you. I just told my team two minutes ago… I said we’ll be having the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening (February 24),” Trump said. “I can send a military plane or something like that (to pick you up), if you’re willing, it will be the coolest evening and the biggest speech…”
A player interrupted Trump, saying, “We’re in.”
“We will contact Kash (Patel), we will have the military bring you over,” the President continued. “You don’t have to worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing or even if there’s a severe blizzard – we will guide you smoothly, just like how you glide on the ice.”
Trump stated that the next day he would present additional medals to the team in recognition, and also mentioned inviting the women’s ice hockey team to receive honors together.
Trump also specially praised the men’s ice hockey team’s goalkeeper, Connor Hellebuyck. In the thrilling match between the U.S. ice hockey team and the Canadian team on Sunday, Hellebuyck completed 41 saves out of 42 shots from opponents.
“By the way, your goalkeeper performed quite well… incredible, each and every one of you performed unbelievably. This team is really great, you played really well,” he said.
According to Fox News, the team seemed very excited about the call from the President and are looking forward to the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. to attend the President’s State of the Union address.
After the end of the USA-Canada ice hockey match on Sunday, Trump took to his social media platform “Truth Social” to post multiple congratulatory messages applauding the victory of the U.S. team.
This victory holds significant meaning for the U.S., as it marks the first time in history that the U.S. men’s and women’s ice hockey teams both won gold medals at the same Olympics.
In the game on February 19, the U.S. women’s ice hockey team, with their unwavering determination and legendary play by veterans, secured a 2-1 victory over the Canadian team to reclaim the Olympic gold.
Hockey is considered Canada’s national sport. Before the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Canadian men’s ice hockey team had won nine Winter Olympic championships. The last time the U.S. men’s ice hockey team won gold was in 1980.
The Sunday match, led by the two major ice hockey powers in the world, was intense and thrilling. The teams tied 1-1 during the regular game, leading to a breath-taking overtime. Jack Hughes of the U.S. team scored the crucial goal just 1 minute and 41 seconds into the overtime, securing the victory and allowing the U.S. team to relive the glory of the 1980 Winter Olympics once again.