Team USA Hockey Player Reveals Reason For State Of The Union Absence | 100.7 WZLX

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U.S. men's ice hockey team member Jake Guentzel said he “definitely was not denying the request to go” with his teammates to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, rather was focused on returning home ahead of a "tough schedule" as the NHL season resumes.

“Just kind of a timing thing for me and my family. I definitely was not denying the request to go. It was a dream come true to go, I was fortunate to go in 2017 when Trump was in office," said Guentzel, who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Lighting and was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup championship teams.

The U.S. men's ice hockey team's presence around Trump has been polarizing since their gold medal victory in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a photo on her Instagram Story of herself and members of the team during their visit to the White House, which included

Tage Thompsonwearing a 'Make America Great Again' and

Jackand

Quinn Hugheswearing 'USA 45-47' hats, referencing Trump, on Tuesday (February 24).

A video shared by journalist Savannah Behrmann also showed Thompson walking through the United States Capitol wearing the 'Make America Great Again' hat ahead of Trump's State of the Union address. Team USA's appearance in Washington, D.C., came two days after its historic gold medal victory against arch rival Canada in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, with the Americans receiving backlash for viral videos that took place during their celebration.

A viral clip showed FBI Director Kash Patel chugging beers with the team in the locker room before a separate video showed him holding a cellphone with Trump on speaker phone joking that he'd also have to invite the

U.S. women's ice hockey team, who also defeated Canada to win gold, to the State of the Union address or he "would be impeached."

Jack Hughes, who scored the golden goal against Canada, downplayed the criticism during an interview outside of the nightclub E11even Miami, where the team celebrated its gold medal victory Monday (February 23), via ESPN.

"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," Hughes said.

Hughes, whose mother, Ellen, played for and serves as a consultant for the U.S. women's team, said the two teams grew closer during their respective journeys at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

"Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Olympic Village, I think we are so tight with their group. After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. in the morning with them. We go from there, pack our bags and we're on the bus," Hughes said via ESPN. "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. The same way we feel about them, they feel about us."

The U.S. women's ice hockey team declined Trump's invitation to the State of the Union address, a USA Hockey spokesperson said in a statement obtained by NBC News on Monday.

"We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement," the spokesperson said. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate."

"They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment," the spokesperson added.