MILAN

The United States celebrated its first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980 after defeating Canada 2-1. Following this victory, President Donald Trump reached out to congratulate the team.

Coach Mike Sullivan shared, “He expressed pride in being part of the group and congratulated everyone on their win. This game has inspired our country in many ways.” It’s interesting—I’ve received quite a few emails about the 8 a.m. watch party, which suggests that, well, a lot of folks were really tuned in, including the president.

Interestingly, this isn’t Trump’s first interaction with Team USA. Last year, before a four-nation final, he had gathered the team, though that game carried a more politically charged backdrop. It was a tense time, with rumors about the White House wanting to annex Canada as the 51st state, and things got a bit heated in Montreal, where the national anthem faced some booing.

However, the current atmosphere seems, uh, less fraught. While a few European outlets attempted to frame the Olympic hockey tournament politically, most discussions about the Olympics have remained relatively light, at least from what I’ve seen.

There were whispers that Trump might travel to Italy for Sunday’s race, but he did not mention it during his State of the Union address earlier this week.

Auston Matthews, the U.S. captain, reflected on the president’s congratulatory call, mentioning it as a significant moment for the team and the nation. “This is a big moment for us,” he said. “It’s an honor to put on this jersey and bring home a gold medal.” Still, he hinted at plans for a potential visit to the White House, though a looming blizzard on the East Coast and the NHL getting back to games on Thursday could complicate those logistics.

Matthews noted, “There are a lot of moving parts concerning our journey home. We’ll see how it goes. You can really feel how much this means to everyone in this room and all the fans cheering us on.”