U.S. women’s hockey star reiterates team missed State of the Union over logistical challenges, not Trump joke

Minneapolis — A member of the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team indicated to CBS News on Tuesday that her team’s absence from President Trump’s State of the Union address was due to logistical challenges and not the controversy surrounding a joke Mr. Trump made while on a video call with the U.S. men’s team.

“I know, like, later on, there’ll be a full invite for all Team USA athletes to go to the White House like there has been in the past,” decorated U.S. women’s hockey veteran Kelly Pannek told CBS News during a practice with her pro team in Minneapolis.

Asked if she wants the women’s team to receive their own White House invite, Pannek responded, “We want it to be about how great of an experience it was for us. You know, having team gold medals come out of USA hockey. It’s something we’ve never done before.”

While both the men’s and women’s teams returned from the Milano Cortina Games with gold medals — both thanks to 2-1 overtime wins over Canada — their celebrations have been entirely different.

The U.S. men received a hero’s welcome Tuesday, as the U.S. Air Force flew them from Miami to Joint Base Andrews before the players were hosted at the White House by Mr. Trump. They were then brought into the House Chamber to tumultuous applause during his State of the Union address.

During his address, the president also made the surprising announcement that he would be awarding U.S. goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for his heroics that helped secure the U.S. men their first gold medal since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team.

On Monday, meanwhile, the U.S. women’s team said it had declined an invitation to attend the State of the Union, with a spokesperson stating the athletes had “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.” Several members of the women’s team were already back on the ice this week, practicing for their various professional and college teams.

On a video call Sunday with Mr. Trump from the U.S. men’s locker room after defeating Canada, the president suggested he would fly the men’s team to Washington to meet with him at the White House, and then joked, “I must tell you, we’re gonna have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?” The comment drew a large laugh from the players in the room.

Mr. Trump then joked again on the call that he “probably would be impeached” if he failed to invite the women’s team.

Amid the fallout over the call, U.S. men’s backup goalie Jeremy Swayman, a member of the Boston Bruins, told reporters Wednesday that his team “should have reacted differently” to Mr. Trump’s comments.

“We know that we are so excited for the women’s team, we have so much respect for the women’s team,” Swayman said. “To share that gold medal with them is something that we’re forever grateful for.”

Pannek reiterated Swayman’s remarks, saying the two teams “felt like” one family while in Italy, and have nothing but mutual admiration for one another.

“It really did feel like that, you know, full team USA. And that’s part of the great thing about being at the Olympics.”