Fresh off their historic victory, the U.S. men’s hockey team traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet President Donald Trump at the White House — but several players opted out of the trip.
The meeting took place on Tuesday, just two days after the team won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Italy, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime. It marked the first men’s hockey gold for the U.S. since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”
While most of the players participated in the celebratory event — which included a tour and Oval Office photo-op — five declined to attend, according to multiple news reports.
They were: Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Dallas Stars goalkeeper Jake Oettinger and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe.
Some of the absent players had other plans. Nelson skipped out on the White House trip so he could be with his family ahead of a game this week, The Denver Post reported.
Connor missed the sit-down with Trump to prepare for an upcoming game. “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.”
Meanwhile, 20 of the players took part in the White House visit, according to USA Today. Among them were goalie Connor Hellebuyck, center Dylan Larkin and defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Hughes told ABC News that the players were “excited” for the trip. “It’s not something you get to do every Tuesday,” he said. “It’s going to be special for us.”
The 79-year-old Republican president appeared eager to meet the champion players, saying “I recognize everyone of you” as he ushered them into the Oval Office and shook their hands.
At one point, winger Matthew Tkachuk offered to let Trump wear his gold medal.
“Yeah, I’ll put it on,” the president said while sitting behind the Resolute Desk. As he grabbed the award and draped it around his neck, he quipped, “I’m not giving it back,” eliciting laughter from the room.
Trump wasn’t the only one to be handed a token of appreciation following the Olympic victory. On Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Defense posted a photo on X of Hellebuyck holding a “Secretary of Defense” plaque. It was captioned “AMERICA’S SECRETARY OF DEFENSE!”
The players may also attend tonight’s State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Meanwhile, the U.S. women’s hockey team — which also won the gold medal in Italy — declined the president’s White House invitation after audio emerged of him telling the men’s team that he’d face impeachment if he didn’t also invite the women.
Visiting the White House after winning a major sporting event is a longstanding tradition for U.S. teams, though some visits have been canceled.
During Trump’s first term, the Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off their 2018 Super Bowl win, had their invitation rescinded after many players planned to skip. And, after the 2017 NBC championship, the Golden State Warriors declined to travel to the White House due to political differences.
