The five members of the Team USA men’s hockey roster who are not attending the White House and State of the Union on Tuesday have been revealed.
The Winter Olympics gold medalists arrived in Washington DC on Tuesday morning and spent time with Donald Trump in the Oval Office following an invite from the president after their dramatic win over Canada.
While 20 members of the 25-strong squad were in attendance, five players chose not to go to America’s capital to continue the celebrations.
According to The Athletic, Kyle Connor, Jake Oettinger, Brock Nelson, Jake Guentzel and Jackson LaCombe have all opted against spending time with Trump and their teammates in Washington DC.
Connor, who didn’t see any action in Milan after their first game, practiced with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday ahead of their next NHL game on Wednesday.
Oettinger was scheduled to arrive back in Texas on Tuesday and should be at the Dallas Stars’ morning skate on Wednesday before they play the Seattle Kraken.
Kyle Connor is among the five Team USA hockey stars not to be visiting Washington DC
Jake Oettinger was due to arrive back in Texas on Tuesday as he returns to action for the Stars
Jake Guentzel (right) is back in Tampa Bay but skipped the Lightning’s practice on Tuesday
Nelson is back in Denver to see his family and should be back with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Guentzel has arrived home in Tampa Bay but skipped Lightning practice on Tuesday.
Meanwhile LaCombe was heading back to California from Miami on Tuesday as he prepares to reunite with his Anaheim Ducks teammates for their game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Interestingly, all but Connor grew up in Minnesota. There have been violent clashes in Minneapolis between immigration enforcement agents and anti-ICE protesters following the deaths of two Americans, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, last month.
The decision of their other 20 teammates to accept Trump’s offer has led to division across America in recent days.
The president was heard saying on a celebratory phone call with the men’s team that he’d ‘be impeached’ if he didn’t extend the same invite to the women’s team, who also won the gold medal in Milan.
But, speaking exclusively to Daily Mail at E11EVEN nightclub in Miami before their wild party, goalscoring hero Jack Hughes defended the team’s decision.
He said: ‘They (the women’s team) have got busy schedules, too. Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today.
‘People are so negative out there and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing.
‘Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Athletes’ Village, I think we are so tight with their group.
Brock Nelson is back in Denver with family and should be back with the Avalanche on Thursday
Jackson LaCombe (left) was heading back to California from Miami on Tuesday morning
‘After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3.30am in the morning with them and we go from there, pack our bags and we’re on the bus.
‘People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.’
Asked by the Daily Mail whether they are excited for their trip to meet Trump, Hughes added: ‘Yeah, we’re excited. Everything is so political. We’re athletes.
‘We’re so proud to represent the US and when you get the chance to go to the White House and meet the President, we’re proud to be Americans and that’s so patriotic.
‘No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House tomorrow and be a part of that.’
Trump’s opulent Oval Office added a bit more gold on Tuesday as the triumphant team visited the White House.
‘I know every one of you,’ Trump joked as Team USA center Auston Matthews approached the standing President.
Trump then added, ‘big guys,’ before shaking 6ft1 Dylan Larkin’s hand.
Most of Team USA was on hand Tuesday at the Oval Office, where players met Donald Trump
Members of Team USA are pictured outside the White House on Tuesday afternoon
Team USA is seen boarding an Air Force 757 to head to Washington to celebrate their success
The one Team USA star who was instantly recognized by Trump was Panthers veteran Matthew Tkachuk, who recently made flattering comments about the President as Florida celebrated its latest Stanley Cup title at the White House last month.
‘There’s my friend,’ Trump told the elder Tkachuk brother. ‘You’ve come a long way since I last saw you.’
Jack Hughes, Connor Hellebuyck & Co. took off Tuesday morning from South Florida aboard a US Air Force 757, which was sent to bring the gold medalists to Washington by none other than Trump. The President had previously promised to fly the American hockey stars to Washington to celebrate their Olympic success.
Upon landing at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews, team members took photos with military personnel along the runway and by Tuesday afternoon, the grinning, sleep-deprived gold medalists were pictured on the White House’s front lawn.
