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The U.S. men’s ice hockey team stopped to pose for photos with military personnel at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday ahead of their arrival at the White House and their expected attendance at the State of the Union address.
The players landed in Washington, D.C., just after 1 p.m. ET after celebrating their historic gold medal victory over Canada at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics in Miami the previous night.
Several military members lined up to greet Team USA, who were again spotted draping the American flag over their shoulders.
The players then ran over to greet them, stopping for hugs, handshakes and photos. Several of the players were spotted giving their gold medals to the servicemen and women to wear in photos before leaving to meet President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes made headlines when sharing a patriotic message after his overtime goal secured the gold medal for Team USA.
“This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The U.S. are a hockey brotherhood. It’s so strong and we had so much support from ex-players. I’m so proud to be American today,” a toothless Hughes told the NBC broadcast immediately after the game.
NHL defenseman and Jack’s brother, Quinn Hughes, continued that sentiment during an interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico, which was given as the team began their celebrations in Italy.
“It’s so special, and I want to thank our troops for allowing us to play this game. Thank our troops for allowing us to play this game.”
Trump invited both the men’s and women’s gold medal teams to the White House and extended an invitation to the State of the Union address, but the women’s team declined, citing schedule conflicts.
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In a video of the president’s phone call with the men’s team immediately after their win, Trump said he would “have” to invite the women’s team, otherwise he “probably would be impeached.” The players laughed in response to Trump’s joke, causing some backlash on social media.
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