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American men’s hockey star Jack Hughes seemed to have no qualms about heading to Washington to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
Trump invited the men’s hockey team to his speech on Sunday after Hughes scored in overtime of the gold medal game, defeating Canada 2-1.
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Jack Hughes (86) of the United States poses with his teammates after a men’s ice hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
The players’ enthusiasm seemed to upset Trump’s critics. But while speaking to reporters outside E11EVEN in Miami on Monday night, the New Jersey Devils star said meeting the president is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It’s all very political. We’re athletes. We’re very proud to represent America and when you have the opportunity to go to the White House, meet the president, you know, we’re proud to be Americans, that’s very patriotic. No matter what your views are, we’re very excited to go to the White House and be a part of that,” he said.
Jack Hughes (86) of the United States, who scored the winning goal in overtime, celebrates after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Hughes was full of patriotism right after scoring the goal against Canadian goalkeeper Jordan Binnington.
“This is about our country right now. I love America. I love my teammates. It’s amazing. America is a hockey brotherhood. It’s very strong and we had a lot of support from former players. I’m very proud to be an American today,” he said.
As the team celebrated in the locker room, FBI Director Kash Patel held his phone on speaker as President Donald Trump invited the team to his State of the Union address.
“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.”
Jack Hughes of the United States celebrates with his national flag after scoring his second goal in overtime to win gold on February 22, 2026. (REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo)
“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.”
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