Donald Trump made a congratulatory phone call to the United States men’s hockey team after their dramatic win over Canada in the Olympic gold medal game on Sunday afternoon, praising what he called an “unbelievable” performance and inviting the players to Washington DC this week.
The US president addressed the team by speakerphone shortly after their 2-1 overtime victory, telling them they had delivered a moment the country would remember for decades.
“Unbelievable. You were all unbelievable. That team is pretty good you played,” Trump said in a locker-room video capturing the call.
The US won their third Olympic men’s hockey title, and the first since the Miracle on Ice team of 1980, behind Jack Hughes’s overtime winner and an extraordinary effort from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 of the 42 shots he faced.
Trump told the players they were invited to attend Tuesday night’s State of the Union address at the US Capitol as guests of honor and suggested a White House celebration would follow.
“I’ll tell you what – I just told my people two minutes ago. I said, we’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,” Trump said. “We could send a military plane or something. But if you would like to [attend], it’s the coolest night.
“The nice thing about being president is I can tell you, you don’t have to worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing, or if it’s the worst blizzard, you’ll be sailing through that sucker just like you did on the ice today. We’ll do the White House the next day. We’ll just have some fun. We have medals for you guys.”
Trump also referenced the US women’s hockey team, who captured Olympic gold on Thursday with their own overtime win over Canada.
“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” he said. “You do know that. I do believe I’d probably would be impeached [if the women’s team wasn’t invited].”
Trump told the US players the audience back home had been vast.
“I don’t know of one person that wasn’t [watching],” he said. “Everybody that called me said, ‘I’m watching the hockey game.’ You’re going to be proud of that game for 50 years as you grow older. It was amazing. We love you guys. Congratulations.”
He ended by singling out Hellebuyck, the US goalie who had been hailed by his teammates as the best player on the ice.
“I’m going to shake hands with everybody, but I’ve got to shake hands with that goalie,” Trump said.
US coach Mike Sullivan confirmed the call took place in the locker room shortly after the medal ceremony.
“The players just had the president on – I don’t know what it was, what do you call it? FaceTime? Whatever – in the locker room,” Sullivan said. “So he just spoke to the group, expressing how proud he was of the group and congratulating everybody on the win. Obviously this game, in a lot of ways, was an inspiration to our country.”
Sullivan said he had been struck by the reaction in the United States, where the puck dropped at shortly after 8am on the east coast.
“I can’t tell you how many texts I’ve received over the last day or so about watch parties at eight o’clock in the morning,” he said. “I think from a viewership standpoint in the United States, there were a lot of people paying attention – the president included.”
US captain Auston Matthews alluded to the invitation and said the team had not yet determined whether they could accept, citing the quick turnaround before the NHL season resumes Wednesday.
“We’re all proud Americans, obviously, and this is a huge moment for us. It’s a huge moment for the United States,” Matthews said. “He called and just congratulated us. I think there’s a lot of moving parts as far as our travels back home, but we’ll kind of see what happens.
“It’s an honor to wear this jersey and to represent the USA and go home with the gold medal. You know how much that means to the guys in this room and how much it means to all the people watching and rooting us on, too.”
The call was coordinated in part by FBI director Kash Patel, who arrived in Milan on Thursday ahead of the team’s semi-final contest and joined the locker-room celebration following Sunday’s win after watching the game from a hospitality suite alongside American snowboarder Nick Baumgartner. Patel’s official biography on the Pentagon website notes: “Kash is a life-long ice hockey player, coach, and fan.”
Videos shared on social media showed Patel drinking beer from a bottle, spraying the remainder around the room and pounding his chest as players jumped about and sang to Toby Keith’s Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American), the patriotic revenge song released in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Hours earlier, the US Secret Service had shot and killed an armed man who had driven into Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida residence. Around the time Sunday’s game went into overtime, Patel posted on X that the FBI was “dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation”.
Patel later wrote that he was “extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys”.
His presence drew criticism from some former officials. Xochitl Hinojosa, a spokesperson for former attorney general Merrick Garland, wrote on X: “There was a threat at the president’s residence at [Mar-a-Lago], Americans in Mexico are facing major threats by cartel members, Nancy Guthrie is still missing, and our FBI Director thinks he’s a frat bro?!”
Patel has said his trip to Italy included meetings with Italian law enforcement officials and visits to the Milan Joint Operations Center, which coordinates security for American athletes and visitors during the Games.
The call revived the political undertones that have surrounded recent US–Canada matchups. Trump addressed many of the same players before the final of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game – the first international tournament to feature the NHL’s best players since 2016 – at the height of the 51st state acrimony which had led to the US national anthem getting booed in Montreal.
Patel was not the only Trump ally in the arena for Sunday’s game. Kelly Loeffler, the Small Business Administration chief and former Georgia senator also watched from the stands before attending the closing ceremony in Verona.
Immediately after Sunday’s win, Trump posted a congratulatory message on his Truth Social account. The White House’s official X account reposted a message from former Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau that had followed Canada’s win in the 4 Nations final last year – “You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game” – and added an image depicting a bald eagle attacking a Canadian goose.
The president’s call came 13 days after he posted on social media that China would “eliminate the Stanley Cup” and end ice hockey games in Canada if the countries struck a trade deal, a remark he later said was not serious.
A spokesperson for the US women’s team said on Monday that the players would not be able to attend the State of the Union or visit the White House, citing previously scheduled commitments.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning US Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” the statement read. “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.”
Representatives for the men’s team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
