Team USA men’s hockey returns to United States after old medal win

The U.S. men’s hockey team arrived in Florida on Monday hours after winning the gold medal in a thrilling overtime win over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The players flew to Miami International Airport and will begin the celebratory festivities. The team is set to revel at E11EVEN MIAMI nightclub later in the night.

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Jack Hughes (86) of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal against Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

U.S. fans, some with signs, waited for their arrival into the terminal with bated breath – and when they did, jubilation.

Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk showed off their gold medals to the cameras.

“We’re gonna celebrate for a few days,” Hughes told reporters at the airport.

The team will go to an upscale restaurant for dinner before continuing their celebration at one of Miami’s famous clubs.

Hughes gave the U.S. the gold on Sunday when he scored in overtime, getting the puck past Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington. The U.S. won 2-1.

Connor Hellebuyck of United States celebrates after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026. (David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images)

“This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The U.S. are a hockey brotherhood. It’s so strong and we had so much support from ex-players. I’m so proud to be American today,” Hughes told NBC after the game.

The team celebrated in the locker room and FBI Director Kash Patel was the go-between for the team and President Donald Trump.

Trump invited the team to his State of the Union address, which is set to take place on Tuesday.

“I’ll tell you what. I just told my people two minutes ago, I didn’t know they’d be calling, I said we’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,” Trump said. “I can send a military plane or something, but if you would like to, it’s the coolest night, it’s the biggest speech …”

One player cut off Trump and said, “We’re in.”

“We’ll get Kash, and we’ll get the military to get you guys over,” Trump continued. “You won’t have to worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing or if it’s the worst blizzard – we’ll be sailing through like you did on the ice.”

Jack Eichel (9) of the United States greets fans after the game against Slovakia in a men’s ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 20, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

It’s unclear if the team will attend.

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House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News that they were still working out the logistics of them attending the event.

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