After a week filled with playful antics among the U.S. women’s and men’s Olympic gold medal-winning hockey teams, it was Hilary Knight’s moment to shine, with a little help from “Saturday Night Live” writers.
Knight, who leads the women’s team, made a surprise appearance on SNL alongside her teammate Megan Keller and brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes from the men’s team during Conor Storey’s opening monologue on Saturday night.
While the Hughes siblings were sharing their experiences on stage, Knight and Keller joined them, receiving enthusiastic applause. They all donned U.S. jerseys and proudly wore their gold medals.
“It was supposed to be just us, but we thought it might be fun to invite everyone,” Knight quipped at the start.
This remark seemed to touch on the controversy that arose when the men’s team received a call from then-President Donald Trump after their overtime win against Canada in Milan-Cortina.
During that call, Trump spoke to the team, extending an invitation for them and the women to attend the State of the Union address.
However, he later mentioned that not inviting the women would risk impeachment, which many interpreted as a sexist comment, prompting laughter from the athletes.
Knight described the president’s joke as “offensive and unfortunate.” Yet, some of the men admitted they found it funny during the victory celebrations. For instance, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman reflected that he “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s remarks.
The women’s team, who had narrowly defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime just days earlier, respectfully declined Trump’s invitation because they had travel plans. They returned to North America late Monday, significantly later than the men, who flew commercially on a chartered flight funded by the NHL and its Players Association.
Jack Hughes notably scored the men’s overtime goal. For the women, Keller netted the overtime goal, while Knight tied the game at the end of regulation.
Knight, who plays for the PWHL’s Seattle Trent, headed to New York shortly after being placed on long-term injured reserve. Meanwhile, Keller rushed to New York right after participating in a 3-2 shootout win in Ottawa earlier that same day.
After Quinn Hughes mentioned that it had been 46 years since men last won a gold medal in 1980, Knight had a witty comeback, stating that the last female victory was in 2018.
Jack Hughes found it amusing, responding with “Good Burn,” before turning to Story, saying, “This gold medal is not just ours; it’s for all hockey fans. It’s for you too.”
When Story inquired about trying on one of the medals, the four athletes swiftly declined.
The SNL segment, titled “Heat Rivalry,” quickly became popular after its premiere on HBO Max. The film is based on a 2019 novel by Rachel Reid, featuring a storyline about a romantic relationship between players from rival hockey teams.
