Team USA Men’s Hockey Faces Backlash For Laughing At Joke By Trump About Women’s Team

The United States men’s hockey team has faced backlash after a call with President Donald Trump after their gold medal victory on Sunday.

FBI Director Kash Patel was in attendance and video-called Trump in the locker room. Trump congratulated the team on their victory and invited them to his State of the Union address on Feb. 24. He also joked that he’d need to invite the women’s team as well, or he’d face impeachment, which prompted most of the players to laugh. 

Some people felt this joke was out of line, and that the male hockey players should’ve defended their female counterparts. Critics felt the joke implied that the women’s accomplishments weren’t worthy of celebration on par with the men’s.

However, fans argue that the joke wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. They argued that the joke was more about Trump facing constant criticism and impeachment cries rather than a shot at the women’s accomplishment. 

Jack Hughes made a public statement explaining his side of the situation.

“They are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing,” Hughes said.

For the critics, this damage control only made the situation worse. His statement didn’t acknowledge the real feeling of hurt that many women hockey fans felt. 

Hughes, along with his brother Quinn, was raised by their mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes. She won a silver medal in hockey in the 1992 Winter Olympics. She was a consultant for Team USA hockey and was responsible for convincing several players, including her children, to participate in the Winter Olympics. 

Both the men’s and women’s teams were invited to the State of the Union address. However, only the men’s team accepted the invitation. Even then, several members of the men’s team were absent. 

The NHL season will resume Feb. 25.