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Players from the United States men’s hockey team arrived at the House of Representatives for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.
Trump introduced the team and they received applause from those in attendance. They wore “USA” sweaters with their gold medals around their necks.
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Members of the United States Olympic hockey team attend as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives at the US Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, February 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The chamber erupted in chants of “USA.”
“They beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, as everyone saw, as did the American women who will soon be in the White House,” she said.
During the speech, Trump said he would honor goaltender Connor Hellebuyck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Some players were unable to meet NHL commitments that were about to ramp up again. But others were in Washington to visit the president at the White House before the event began. The players arrived in DC from Miami after celebrating their gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Several gold medalists took photos with Trump. Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk even let the president wear his gold medal in a joyous moment in the Oval Office.
Connor Hellebuyck seen after President Donald Trump announced that he will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
“I’m not giving it back,” the president joked.
Trump invited the team to the State of the Union on Sunday night as they celebrated in the locker room following their 2-1 victory over Canada. FBI Director Kash Patel put Trump on speakerphone.
“I’ll tell you what. I told my people two minutes ago that I didn’t know they were going to call me, I said we were giving the State of the Union address on Tuesday night,” Trump said. “I can send a military plane or something, but if you want, it’s the coolest night, it’s the most important speech…”
One player interrupted Trump and said, “We’re in.”
“We will get Kash and we will get the military to help them,” Trump continued. “You won’t have to worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing or if it’s the worst blizzard – we’ll sail like you did on the ice.”
Jack Hughes poses for a photo with members of Team USA, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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A couple of days later, some of the players were in DC.
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