The U.S. men's Olympic hockey team won gold -- and then lost the room

[Nevilledog]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7068426/2026/02/24/usa-mens-olympics-hockey-gold-donald-trump/

No paywall link
https://archive.li/mAfu4

For a few hours on Sunday afternoon, the nation felt smaller. This America of vast divides and rickety social bridges deferred, briefly, to the unifying power of sports. Strangers high-fived in bars. Grownups hugged with wet eyes. Politics and culture wars were suspended for the length of three heart-stopping periods of hockey and one cathartic overtime.

The U.S. men’s hockey team won Olympic gold for the first time since the “Miracle on Ice” 46 years ago, and for a time, the joy belonged to everyone.

By the next day, it didn’t.

In the immediate aftermath of their victory, the team took a customary, congratulatory call from President Donald Trump, and some players laughed at a misogynistic joke about the gold-winning women’s hockey team that many Americans wouldn’t find funny. They celebrated in the locker room with beer-chugging FBI Director Kash Patel, who is now under scrutiny for using taxpayer money to fund a sports getaway. Then, after a wild night of partying in Miami following their return from Italy, some members of the team announced plans to step in the House Chamber – a stage upon which symbolism is never neutral – and make an appearance at Trump’s State of the Union.

In normal times, this would be an obligatory celebration for a championship team. They take presidential calls. They party too hard. They visit Washington and stroll through the corridors of power.
But this isn’t a neutral climate. This isn’t a neutral president. And in a nation this polarized, the proximity carries weight whether the players are being intentional or merely naive. America no longer experiences these rituals in the same way, and it may never again. Athletes would be wise to recognize that, in this climate, celebration is easily repurposed into political capital.

*snip*

[Goonch]

1. ;-{)......

[OC375]

2. Sad

Summary seems to say shouldn’t be a big deal, but because everything is now a big deal, it has to be too. This is a lot of why we can’t have nice things.

[underpants]

3. So they aren't taking up seats. There was a post earlier that Trump wanted more seats

and he called Moses Mike. Apparently the Speaker couldn’t move enough people out (there’s already a waiting list) so they will “appear”.

BTW - they are going to be hammered. I guarantee it.

[GoCubsGo]

13. If I had to sit through that shitshow, I'd be hammered, too.

But, it was their choice, so fuck 'em. They're saying it's going to be a 2-hour speech, too.

[3Hotdogs]

15. Maybe they, or most of them support Orange Anus.

[GoCubsGo]

20. Some of them do.

But, that doesn't mean most of them are not going to be fucking miserable at some point. Wait until they find out that they can't sit there and scroll through their TikToks and Instagrams to distract themselves...

[Shipwack]

19. I'll be surprised if it's less than two and a half... nt

[underpants]

27. He's going to filibuster...just to show he can.

[COL Mustard]

31. Word salad

For the ages. Nobody goes home hungry!!!

[Cha]

4. Wow.. This is Good to read right now!

TY for the Gift Link, too...

Members of Team USA mastered the first part. They weren’t as careful with the other. Now, their historic triumph must compete for attention with their reckless after-party.

[GoCubsGo]

14. Reader view also works.

[Cha]

17. Thanks...

[GoCubsGo]

21. Yer welcome.

It's the case for all of The Athletic's articles.

[progressoid]

5. This part...

It’s a costly image. What they’ve lost won’t appear in a record book, and in a few years, the appearance will be a faint memory to most. But during a time in which every action seems consequential, they handed over the power of unity. Their triumph is now attached to Trump. His track record suggests it won’t be used to celebrate everyone. It is more likely to be framed as dominance than shared aspiration.

[Cha]

18. Exactly! TY

[COL Mustard]

32. Guess they've forgotten that....

Everything Trump Touches, Dies.

ETTD

[msongs]

6. because trump always makes it about himself they are just p***ies to be grabbed nt

[sop]

7. The men who make up the 2026 U.S. olympic hockey team are a bunch of professional NHL stars. In contrast,

the 1980 U.S. olympic hockey team was primarily composed of amateur, college-aged players. I'll readily admit I'm not a fan of professional hockey. I never followed it and don't enjoy watching the sport. I find it far too violent. Still, I'm happy the U.S. team won gold.

Pro hockey is the only team sport I can think of where it’s acceptable for players to get into bare knuckle boxing matches in the middle of a game. Hockey appears to be an attractive sport for certain types of guys who have pent up frustration to vent, and are looking for an acceptable outlet to let out all their aggressions. I suspect there are more Trump fans in the NHL than in other professional sports.

[groundloop]

11. I played hockey when I was younger (much younger)..... I much preferred our women's team victory.

I absolutely loved our women's team games, to me it was a much better demonstration of speed and skill.

In my most humble opinion the Tkachuks are goons. They're game is based on intimidation, I'm just not a fan of that style of play.

[SWBTATTReg]

16. I enjoyed the hockey games played by the neighbor kids in my neighborhood. I didn't watch, but the kids would set up

their goals in the streets or alleyways, and play away. That's the hockey I enjoyed. Down home hockey. No politics.

[Prairie Gates]

8. Exactly right

[mountain grammy]

9. This was not the 'Miracle on Ice' it's the NHL!

[JustKay]

10. Wow, a bunch of hockey players are misogynist's? Who saw that coming?

[GoCubsGo]

12. Now they get to sit through what's being said will be a 2-hour shitshow.

Good. Fuck the lot of them who are attending. I hope it's the most miserable experience of their lives.

[slightlv]

22. I'm sure it'll last far longer than 2 hours...

once trump starts talking, he can't stop. He finds so many "exits" to take on his way to gripes. And these guys will probably end up either being ushered out after a brief acknowledgement that with trump's help they won the game. They sure as hell won't have the composure to stand there for 2 hours listening to trump bitch and gripe how everybody is against him. I just hope he doesn't publicly demean the Women's hockey win at the front of Congress for his and his "boys" sakes. I can't hate this man enough.

[niyad]

23. ummm, nyt??? everyone? Hate to tell you this, but some of us neither

knew nor cared. And the misogynist bs at least some of the team exhibited is but one reason.

[DinahMoeHum]

24. Five of the players did NOT go to Washington. . .

Their names:

Kyle Connor / Winnipeg Jets

Jake Oettinger / Dallas Stars

Jake Guentzel / Tampa Bay Lightning

Jackson LaCombe / Anaheim Ducks

Brock Nelson** / Colorado Avalanche

**Brock Nelson, btw, is from the Christian family tree of Warroad, MN
Nephew of Dave Christian, a forward who won the gold medal with the U.S. at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980
His grandfather, Billy Christian, and great uncle, Roger Christian, helped the U.S. win gold at the Olympic Winter Games Squaw Valley 1960
His great uncle, Gordon Christian, earned a silver medal at the Olympic Winter Games Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956

[paleotn]

25. They're dead to me. And to a lot of Americans.

Compared to 1980 team, they're a bunch of drunk punks. Naive? Perhaps. Stupid? Certainly. And they can take their medals and shove them straight up their asses.

[Boomerproud]

26. They lost me.

[OAITW r.2.0]

28. these are young jocks,,,,majoring in hockey for the past 6 years,

Not the greatest intellectual thinkers of their generation. Loving the idea that the Director of the FBI is acting like an idiot and joining in with their celebration. Then the President phones in and says, "sorry, I have to invite the women's hockey team, too." Patel orchestrated the reaction. These dudes just followed along. Happy to win and oblivious to the political stage that they were on.

[niyad]

30. As I understand from other posts, severa of those players were in their

late 20's to early 40's, professionals, so no excuses.

[BaronChocula]

29. I get ticked every time

I see some of a supposed non-partisan group like those military officers foolishly summoned to VA laughing at his unfunny basic "jokes." I know some are just in the tank, but I suspect some are swept up in the moment or are natural-born starfu**ers.

[3catwoman3]

34. Trump understands neither humor nor sarcasm.

When he makes one of his usual mean-spirited, snide, classless comments and gets any pushback on what he said, he always dismisses the criticism as the listeners not understanding that, "I was joking," or, "It was just sarcasm." It is never either of those things. He means every cruel, crass, and nasty thing he says.

[hatrack]

33. Bi-Directional ETTD!!!

Though I'll be the first to grant that it's not like Kash Money has much of a "reputation" to lose anyway . . .