Vincent Trocheck, a forward for the Rangers, expressed that it’s “sad” that Team USA Hockey’s gold medal achievement at the Olympics has become entangled in political discussions.
Following their exciting overtime victory over Canada, Trocheck, teammate JT Miller, and the national team enjoyed a busy week of celebrations, which included a visit to the White House and attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“For me, it’s unfortunate that it keeps getting politicized,” Trocheck mentioned when he returned to practice with the Rangers on Wednesday. “We’re all really proud to be Americans and to have gone to Italy to win a gold medal.”
Trocheck added, “We went over there to win a gold medal for our country and everyone here, and we accomplished that. It’s disheartening that it turns political when our aim was simply to represent everyone in this country to the best of our ability.”
The U.S. women’s team, also gold medalists, turned down an invitation to the State of the Union. Meanwhile, after their victory, the men’s team celebrated with a visit from FBI Director Kash Patel and received a congratulatory call from President Trump.
Trocheck noted that the team had the chance to tour the Oval Office and the White House earlier that Tuesday.
“Just being invited is really special,” Miller said. “I had never toured the Capitol or the White House before, so it was an honor to be there and represent the country. Of course, there was a significant reason for our visit too.”
“It’s a humbling experience. As Americans, we all aimed to bring home the gold medal. That was our goal, along with the women’s team. I tend not to pay attention to outside opinions. We were just having a great time and feel proud to be Americans. Coming back with a gold medal was our purpose for being there. I feel incredibly proud and fortunate for the opportunities we’ve had in the past few days.”
