President Trump extended a special invitation to the US men’s Olympic hockey team, asking them to join him as honored guests at the State of the Union address on Tuesday night. This invitation followed their thrilling 2-1 overtime win against Canada, securing them the gold medal on Sunday.
In a phone call, facilitated by FBI Director Kash Patel, Trump expressed his excitement to the team. “We’re delivering the State of the Union on Tuesday night,” he said, his enthusiasm clear. “I could arrange a military plane, or something similar, because it’s such a great occasion—”
“We’re in,” one player responded eagerly, with others echoing their agreement: “Yeah, we’re in.”
One of the team members, possibly Matthew Tkachuk from the Florida Panthers, humorously inquired, “Can you pick us up in Miami on Tuesday morning?”
Trump assured them, “We’ll coordinate with Kash and the military to get you there,” adding with a touch of presidential privilege, “The good thing about being president is, I can guarantee you won’t have to worry about the weather or the landing.”
During the conversation, Trump also praised goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for his outstanding performance, noting his impressive defense by stopping 41 out of 42 shots from Canada during the game.
“Your goalie played not bad,” the president said, to cheers in the locker room.
“Helly, say hi to him,” one player urged, with Hellebuyck obliging: “How you doing, Don?”
“I’ve seen hockey goalies have slightly worse games,” Trump continued, adding that the performance was “unbelievable.”
It was not immediately clear how many players would be able to take Trump up on his offer. The National Hockey League resumes games Wednesday night after a 20-day break for the Winter Games, with golden goalscorer Jack Hughes’ New Jersey Devils, Hellebuyck’s Winnipeg Jets and Team USA captain Auston Matthews’ Toronto Maple Leafs among those in action.
