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The U.S. men’s hockey team arrived in Florida Monday hours after winning the gold medal in a thrilling overtime victory over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The players flew to Miami International Airport and the celebration festivities will begin. The team will party at E11EVEN MIAMI nightclub later that night.
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Jack Hughes (86) of the United States celebrates with his teammates after scoring the winning goal against Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Image Images)
American fans, some holding signs, awaited their arrival at the terminal with bated breath and, when they did, with joy.
Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk showed off their gold medals for the cameras.
“We’re going to celebrate for a few days,” Hughes told reporters at the airport.
The team will go to dinner at a luxury restaurant before continuing their celebration at one of Miami’s famous clubs.
Hughes gave the United States gold on Sunday when he scored in overtime, getting the puck past Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington. The United States won 2-1.
Connor Hellebuyck of the United States celebrates after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Stadium on February 22, 2026. (David W. Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images)
“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,” Hughes told NBC after the game.
The team celebrated in the locker room and FBI Director Kash Patel served as the go-between for the team and President Donald Trump.
Trump invited the team to his State of the Union address, which will take place on Tuesday.
“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 Eichel (9) of the United States greets fans after the game against Slovakia in a men’s ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Stadium on February 20, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Image Images)
It’s unclear if the team will attend.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, told Pak Gazette they were still working out the logistics of attending the event.
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