ST. PAUL, Minn. — Players from the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team said Wednesday that they felt love and support from the men’s team throughout their road to a gold medal in Milan, and that’s what they’ll remember — not the laugh some players had when U.S. President Donald Trump joked that he’d be impeached if he didn’t invite the women’s team to the White House.
“I can’t wait ’til this blows over in a week and we can go back to each team being proud of what we accomplished. And proud of each other,” Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise told The Athletic after Frost practice.
In a video posted on social media, Trump called into the men’s locker room to congratulate players after their overtime win over Canada on Sunday. On speaker phone from what appeared to be FBI Director Kash Patel’s cellphone, Trump said, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team. You do know that.”
Heise said she didn’t know if the begrudging invite registered with the euphoric players, pointing out that she could hear Dylan Larkin and Brock Nelson yell, “Two for two,” and Matthew Tkachuk say excitedly, “Absolutely,” before Trump dropped the impeachment quip.
You can hear the genuine pride in Donald Trumps voice when he called the Team USA Hockey Team pic.twitter.com/ch6GbXShwh
— Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) February 23, 2026
“Keep in mind the situation and the emotions that they’re going through in the locker room,” gold medalist and Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme said. “I remember our locker room after, you’re laughing at anything, you know what I mean?
“Obviously, is that the perfect response? Is it an appropriate comment or joke to make? No, I don’t think so. But I just go back to the way that they treated us, and the support they gave us, and they were as happy as anyone to see us succeed, and same with us for them. That’s what I’m focusing more on. … I didn’t meet a single one of them that wasn’t very kind.”
Added Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle, “They came to a lot of our games, and we went to a lot of theirs. And I think there was that mutual level of respect, and it was evident with Ellen Hughes also being on our staff as well, and her two sons (Quinn and Jack) being on the (men’s) team. So, yes, we did feel the respect, and then just having been in the Village with them, as well, was a good experience.”
Heise said many of the men’s players have called and texted apologies over the past few days — and to reiterate their support for the women’s team and how proud they were of them.
“A lot of us are more concerned with what was said prior to the laugh, and I think that is what it is,” Heise told The Athletic. “Now everyone’s been making everything political, and obviously we’d love to keep politics out of sports, but I think that we felt the love from them and we don’t want this to fully overshadow our win. I do think partially that it did, and that’s unfortunate, but at the end of the day, we’re still gold-medal winners.”
Added two-time gold medalist and Frost forward Kelly Pannek, “Our experiences with the men’s team was different (than what’s been portrayed), I think. We all know being there what it felt like to have their support throughout the tournament, to support them, and how great of a moment it was for everyone that was a fan of both teams, to come together and say how great it was that we both won a gold medal for the first time ever.
“And it really was such a special feeling being there and even to be able to spend some time with them after their win, and the respect that they were showing us. And I think the video is what it is. You’d have to ask them, I think, their feelings on it, but I think there’s also elements to it with the phone call, specifically — it’s not surprising, to be frank. So I don’t know why we expect differently, but I think for us, it’s also just about getting back to the focus on our team and what our team accomplished, and that was, I think, dominant hockey.”
U.S. women’s team captain Hilary Knight, speaking at a Seattle Torrent news conference on Wednesday, told reporters: “I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate. I think the way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats. And now I have to sit in front of you and explain someone else’s behavior. It’s not my responsibility.”
Knight added that she is “extremely proud” of the fact that the U.S. men’s and women’s teams both won Olympic gold.
“But these women are amazing,” she said. “And whatever’s going on should never outshine or minimize their work and our success on the world’s stage.”
When the U.S. women returned to the Olympic Village at 4 a.m. after beating Canada in their gold-medal game, Frost players said the men’s team — already asleep ahead of its semifinal the next day — had left them beer so they could celebrate. And after the women’s team returned from the closing ceremony after the men won Sunday, Heise recalled getting big hugs from Larkin, Auston Matthews and Charlie McAvoy.
Players from both teams hung out in the Village afterward.
“We sat there and reminisced on what it meant to be gold medalists at the Olympics,” Heise said. “At the end of the day, I respect the men’s team.”
On Tuesday, 20 of the 25 men’s players traveled to Washington, D.C., to have lunch with President Trump, visiting with him in the Oval Office and touring the White House. In the evening, many of the players attended the start of the president’s State of the Union address to be recognized. Trump announced that goalie Connor Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom — one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States.
The women’s team was also invited, but USA Hockey announced Monday that the players couldn’t go because of logistics. As Pannek said Wednesday, the women’s team was in Milan significantly longer than the men’s team and had already departed. Players were on their way back or already back with their college and PWHL teams.
During the State of the Union, Trump said the women’s team “will soon be coming to the White House.”
“Players are back competing with their professional and collegiate teams and are in the midst of their season,” USA Hockey said in a statement Wednesday. “They’re honored and grateful to be invited and any opportunity to visit the White House as a team will be based on their schedule once their seasons conclude.”
The Frost players didn’t seem to be aware of an official agreement for the women’s team to visit the White House. Pannek said, “I do know that there’ll be a time that all Team USA athletes will be invited, as there has been in the past.”
Heise said whether or not the team attends will be up to Knight as captain.
“Whatever Hilary says, we’ll figure out,” Heise said. “If she makes a statement, then we’ll follow what she has to say.”
Jeremy Swayman on the reaction to the postgame call with President Trump:
“We should’ve reacted differently. We’re so excited for the Women’s team and have so much respect for the Women’s team.” pic.twitter.com/NLJmk7wlE5
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) February 25, 2026
Regardless, the players seem ready for the controversy with the men’s team to be over and done with.
“I think that I would love to talk more about how great our team was — how close we were, how special the group was, how historic what we accomplished was,” Pannek said. “Those are all the things that I’d rather highlight versus things that are outside of our control.”