Olympic gold medal winner Hilary Knight said Wednesday that a widely circulated comment from President Trump about the United States women’s team was a “distasteful joke” and that she’s more focused on celebrating women’s accomplishments at the Milan Games.
During the American men’s team’s locker room celebration in Milan, Trump extended an invitation to the players to come to Washington and the State of the Union address. “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” adding with a laugh that if he didn’t also invite the women’s team, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
Appearing on “SportsCenter” on Wednesday, Knight said, “I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke and unfortunately that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats.
“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke.”
Knight later said that she was looking forward to “celebrating all great things that have come out of the Olympics and feeling the love and support and getting back in our respective communities and sharing this journey with them. And that’s what this is all about.”
Several players on the men’s team appeared to laugh at Trump’s comment, a reaction that drew criticism when the video went viral. Jack Hughes, who scored the men’s gold medal game winner, and his brother Quinn were asked about the situation Tuesday and focused on the team’s relationship with the women’s squad.
“Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Olympic Village, I think we are so tight with their group,” Hughes said in an interview with his brother Quinn on “Good Morning America.” “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.
“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.”
Knight echoed that the teams get along well.
“I think there’s a genuine level of support there and respect,” she said. “I think that’s being overshadowed by a quick lapse. I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on.”
While the men’s team did attend the State of the Union address, the women’s team, which won gold for the third time since the Olympics added the women’s hockey competition in 1998, declined an invitation, citing logistics and scheduling concerns.
“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 U.S. women’s team said in a statement released Monday. “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.”
Knight scored the tying goal against Canada on a redirection in the final two minutes. Megan Keller scored in overtime to lift the Americans to the 2-1 victory.
This was the final Olympic game for the 36-year-old Knight, who with her second gold medal became the most decorated player in U.S. women’s hockey history. She announced in May that these Games — her fifth — would be her last.
She ends first among American skaters — men or women — in Olympic goals (15) and points (33) in a career.
Knight told SportsCenter that this whole situation is a “really good learning point, to really focus on how we talk about women, not only in sport but in industry. Women aren’t less than and their achievements shouldn’t be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are.”