Trump Invites Olympic Hockey Team to State of the Union

President Trump extended an invitation to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, following their nail-biting 2-1 overtime win against Canada in the gold medal match.

“I’ll be delivering the State of the Union on Tuesday night,” Trump excitedly told the players during a postgame call arranged by FBI Director Kash Patel. “We could arrange for a military plane or something, but if you want, it’s just the coolest night—”

“We’re in it,” one player responded, with some of the others enthusiastically agreeing, “Yeah, we’re in it.”

One of the players, likely Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers, humorously asked, “Can you pick me up in Miami on Tuesday morning?”

“We’re going to get Kash and send the military for you,” Trump replied, chuckling. He added, “The nice thing about being president is you don’t have to stress about the weather or the landing.”

At the start of the call, Trump commended goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who had an impressive night, stopping 41 of 42 shots from Canada.

“Your goalie’s play wasn’t bad,” he said, prompting cheers in the locker room.

“Please say hello to him,” said one player, and Hellebuyck replied, “How are you, Don?”

Trump continued, “I’ve seen hockey goalies play a little worse,” and he called the performance “unbelievable.”

It remained unclear how many players might accept Trump’s invitation. The NHL is set to resume after a break for the Winter Olympics, with teams like the New Jersey Devils, led by Jack Hughes, the Winnipeg Jets with Hellebuyck, and the Toronto Maple Leafs featuring Team USA captain Auston Matthews back in action soon.