The U.S. men and women’s hockey teams both won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics held in Milan, Italy.
On Feb. 22, the U.S. men’s hockey team played against Canada, a country known for skilled hockey players. Canadian player Sidney Crosby, nicknamed “Sid the Kid,” was out of the game due to injuries. This played into the U.S. team’s favor. As they went into overtime, player Jack Hughes scored the game winning shot, making the score 2-1. Although he lost a few teeth in the process, this was a huge accomplishment for the 24-year-old player. Jack was accompanied on the team by his older brother, Quinn Hughes.
This victory was not Hughes’ alone, and was built off the work of the team’s goalie, Connor Hellebuyck. The goalie saved 41-shots from going into the net, preventing Team Canada from taking the lead.
This was the men’s team’s first gold medal since 1980. In a post-game interview, Hughes expressed how, “it’s such an unbelievable game, U.S.-Canada. That’s such a good game. They have so many great players.”
The win instantly catapulted the team to popularity, generating support from all corners of the internet. In the days following the Olympic game, many came online to express how the win had inspired an interest in hockey, especially for those who didn’t like watching beforehand.
However, this support quickly turned sour as a video was released from the Team U.S. men’s hockey locker room. In the short clip, FBI director Kash Patel is depicted celebrating with the team. The video also included a portion of a phone call from President Donald Trump to the team.
Trump called the team via Patel and invited them to the White House for the State of the Union, which was met by loud cheers and players asking to be flown out. Trump then went on to say, “I must tell you; we’re going to have to bring the women too; you do know that. Believe me, I probably would be impeached, okay?”
Instead of calling out the comment, which some viewed as sexist, the team only laughed along with Trump. For many this came as a shock because the mother of Jack and Quinn Hughes, Ellen Hughes, is a former hockey player and worked closely with the women’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics.
Similar to the men’s team, the women’s team won gold with a score of 2-1. The game winning goal was scored by Megan Keller, making this the team’s eighth medal since the introduction of women’s hockey to the Olympics in 1998. The locker room clip sparked intense comments towards the men’s team to circulate only. Many pointed out how unfair it was for the women’s team to have been reduced to a joke or even a burden. The women’s hockey team also declined President Trump’s invitation to the White House.
Fans online have even begun shifting their attention to the Canadian men’s hockey team, admiring how the team handled their loss with dignity, as opposed to how the U.S. men’s team crassly handled their win.
The video has brought the importance of combatting sexism in sports. Despite women’s hockey being allowed into the Olympics, it does not mean women are being openly accepted into the male-dominated sport.
