A golden sweep by Team USA in Olympic hockey led to celebrations that got complicated and political

The United States swept the hockey gold medals at the Winter Olympics for the first time, beating Canada 2-1 in overtime in both the men’s and women’s tournaments and finishing the tournaments unbeaten.

It set off a celebration that quickly became political:

The celebrations

— Women’s team: The players largely steered away from politics. Many said they failed to notice Vice President JD Vance, his family and guests — and large security detail — attending two preliminary round games where they sat directly opposite the U.S. bench. They celebrated Team USA’s third Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey win by wrapping themselves in the stars and stripes following Megan Keller’s overtime goal.

“We’re America’s team in the best way and through positivity and trying to inspire through sport,” captain Hilary Knight said. “And whatever political climate is going on, we’re just trying to have a positive impact through our play, and obviously show up and represent our country to the best of our ability, because we are proud Americans and there’s great unity that we can find through sport together.”

— Men’s team: The celebration following Jack Hughes’ goal was dramatic and engaging, with Hughes displaying a toothless grin, and others paying tribute to late player Johnny Gaudreau, who died in August 2024. The men were joined in the locker room by FBI Director Kash Patel and got a speakerphone call from President Donald Trump.

White House invitations

— Men’s team: During his call, Trump invited the team to attend his State of the Union address two days later before adding he would have to invite the women’s team as well. He later said if he didn’t invite the women, he’d risk being impeached, which led to the players laughing at a comment many saw as sexist. A number of players joined Trump at the White House on Tuesday and were later cheered at the Capitol during his speech.

— Women’s team: The team didn’t receive a congratulatory call from the president, and didn’t learn of the White House invitation until hours after the men’s game ended. The team politely declined the invitation, citing travel logistics put in place days earlier. Trump said he expected the women to visit the White House soon, but there is no timetable, and the earliest the team could schedule a visit is after the PWHL season ends in late May. Most of the team is expected to attend a “She Got Game” celebration being hosted by rapper Flavor Flav in Las Vegas in mid-July.

The flights home

— Women’s team: Traveling commercial and paid for by USA Hockey, the women were scheduled to fly though New York City but were re-routed to Atlanta due to bad weather. The women were given the choice to attend the State of the Union speech, but declined as they were eager to return home. The women spent an extra week in Milan because their tournament opened earlier. The PWHL season resumed Thursday.

— Men’s team: The players flew by charter — paid for by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association — direct to Miami. The NHL season resumed Wednesday.

The fallout

The men have spent much of the week answering questions about why some of them laughed during Trump’s joke. Many said they were caught up in the celebration. Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman said they “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s remarks.

“I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate,” Knight said Wednesday

Still, by all accounts the two teams became close in the athletes’ village and supported each other’s runs to gold. They have emphasized that this week.

“We watched other events together,” said Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. “We went and supported them. We loved the women’s team. The women’s team loved us and we’re so proud that we had a clean sweep of gold medals and just so much respect for them and the other athletes.”

The TikTok

A doctored TikTok video surfaced on the White House account with U.S. player Brady Tkachuk appearing to disparage Canadians. Tkachuk, Matthew’s brother who plays in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, took offense to the post that carried a note saying it contained AI-generated media.

“I’m not in control of any of those accounts,” he said. “I know that those words would never come out of my mouth.”

Tkachuk also denied being the voice heard shouting “close the northern border” during Team USA’s call with Trump. It is not clear who did.

What’s next

— Men’s team: It’s back to the NHL schedule, playoff races and rejoining many of the teammates they played against in Milan. Though Matthew Tkachuk brought his gold medal to practice, he said he took a low-key approach to not show it off too much so not to offend his Canadian teammates.

— Women’s team: The PWHL schedule resumed after a month-long Olympic break, while the seven U.S. college players prepare for their respective conference playoffs. The PWHL is enjoying a major post-Games boost, the first since the league was established three years ago.

The league reported its two biggest days of in-season home venue ticket sales on Feb. 24 and 25. Merchandise sales in February jumped by 101% compared with the first two months of the season. The league’s 61 Olympians gained 760,000 more followers to their combined social media accounts and the league reported a 200% increase in YouTube video views.

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AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

John Wawrow, The Associated Press