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All five members of the Team USA men's hockey team that declined Trump's invite to the State of the Union and why
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From dentist appointments and childcare to dinner with the in-laws, there are all manner of ready-made excuses to dodge social events, and several of the U.S. men’s hockey team have been prompt in offering their explanations for missing out on their White House meeting with Donald Trump.
Fresh off a landmark Olympic win, the U.S. men’s hockey team made a celebratory trip to Washington, D.C., where many players visited the U.S. president in the Oval Office.
The visit came just two days after Team USA clinched a historic gold at the Winter Olympics in Italy, edging out Canada 2-1 in overtime, thanks to a dramatic winner from Jack Hughes.
The victory marked the program’s first Olympic gold medal since the iconic 1980 'Miracle on Ice.'
The five players who shunned White House invitation
While the majority of the roster took part in the White House tour and posed for the obligatory photo alongside Trump, five players skipped the event, according to multiple reports: Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche, Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, and Jackson LaCombe of the Anaheim Ducks.
Some of those absent cited scheduling conflicts.
Connor explained his decision was purely about preparation.
“I'm just getting ready. We play on Wednesday,” he told The Athletic.
“It's a big second half so I just wanted to make sure I was ready.” While Nelson reportedly opted to spend time with family ahead of an upcoming game.
That said, the Minnessotan links of Nelson, LaCombe, Guentzel and Oettinger, who all either hail from Minnesota or spent much of their childhood in the state, have been rumoured to be the real reason they decided to skip formal celebrations at the White House.
This is because Minnesota has recently been at the center of an intensified immigration enforcement push under the Trump administration, with ICE making thousands of arrests in the state.
The gold medallists' encounter with the U.S. president
According to USA Today, 20 players attended the White House celebration.
Among them were goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, captain Dylan Larkin and defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Hughes described the opportunity as unique.
“It’s not something you get to do every Tuesday,” he told ABC News.
During the visit, forward Matthew Tkachuk offered to let the president try on his gold medal.
“Yeah, I’ll put it on,” Trump said from behind the Resolute Desk.
After placing the medal around his neck, he joked, “I’m not giving it back,” prompting laughter from his visitors.
The team also received recognition from the United States Department of Defense, which shared a photo on X of Hellebuyck holding a plaque labeled 'Secretary of Defense,' captioned 'AMERICA’S SECRETARY OF DEFENSE!'
Meanwhile, the U.S. women’s hockey team, which also claimed gold in Italy, reportedly declined a White House invitation after audio surfaced of Trump telling the men’s team he would face impeachment if he failed to invite the women as well.