U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team Visits Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team made its way to Washington, D.C., with plans to attend the State of the Union address later that evening.

On Tuesday night, twenty out of the twenty-five gold medal-winning players were set to be in the capital. However, five players decided to head home to prepare for the NHL season’s resumption on Wednesday, according to reports.

Notably absent from the festivities were Jets winger Kyle Connor, Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger, Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Lightning winger Jake Guentzel, and Ducks defenseman Jackson Lacombe, who opted not to take part in the celebration.

Brock Nelson, who previously played for the Islanders, returned to Denver with his family and plans to rejoin the team on Wednesday in Salt Lake City for a match against the Mammoths.

Connor, who participated in the U.S. team’s opening game but missed the subsequent ones, was seen practicing with the Jets on Tuesday in preparation for their upcoming game against the Canucks. He mentioned to reporters, “It’s an important second half, so I wanted to make sure I was ready,” highlighting his eagerness to get back into the swing of things.

Oettinger was also on his way back to Dallas and will serve as a backup goalie on Wednesday against the Kraken, as stated by a team representative. Meanwhile, Guentzel returned to Tampa, opting not to practice with the team to prioritize rest before the next game.

Lacombe was en route back to Southern California and was expected to arrive later that evening.

Interestingly, there seemed to be no indication that the players’ choices to skip the event had any political motivations.

The remaining members of Team USA arrived in Washington early Tuesday morning on a U.S. Air Force Flight 757, having celebrated their gold medal win in Miami the previous night.

Following their victory over Canada in the gold medal match, the team received an invitation to the State of the Union address and later spoke with President Trump by phone. Videos and images from their visit to the White House quickly gained traction on social media, showcasing the excitement of the occasion. One standout moment featured Matthew Tkachuk presenting a gold medal to the president, followed by a photo opportunity in the Oval Office.