Forty-six years to the date of the “Miracle on Ice,” where underdog Team USA’s men’s hockey team beat their geopolitical rivals, the Soviet Union, during the semifinals of the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, yet another  miracle occurred: Team USA did it again. But this time, it was different.

On Feb. 22, the American team took the gold medal over Canada, who were favored to win the tournament. Team USA struck first in the first period with a goal by Matt Boldy, but Canada answered in the second period with a goal by Cale Makar to tie the game at one goal apiece. Both teams went scoreless in the third period, forcing a three-on-three overtime. 

Not even two minutes in, Zach Werenski passed the puck to Jack Hughes, who scored the “golden goal” for Team USA. Hughes lost two teeth after taking a stick to the mouth and was largely seen as an American hero. But it did not last long. 

After their win, a video emerged of FBI Director Kash Patel in the team’s locker room chugging beers. Hockey fans like Patrick Voves, a sports journalism graduate student at Northwestern University, said he found Patel’s actions a bit odd. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the head of the FBI celebrating in a locker room before,” he said. “To me, it’s a bit off-putting. Shouldn’t the FBI director be focusing on bigger issues, such as Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance?”

That same day, head coach Mike Sullivan announced to the team that President Donald Trump was on the phone and wanted to speak with them. 

Trump congratulated the team on their win and invited them to his Feb. 24 State of the Union address, and the team eagerly accepted the invitation. The president then made a comment about the women’s team, saying “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?” He then said that if he did not invite them, he would “probably be impeached.”

The team responded with laughter, but many viewers did not find this funny. Social media was flooded with users denouncing the men’s team. Others dismissed the issue, believing team members, who were intoxicated at the time, did not know what they were laughing at.

Hughes responded to the backlash on Feb. 23, saying, “people are so negative out there and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of nothing.”

Ethan Ponte, an undergraduate student at DePaul and the host of a hockey talk show on Radio DePaul Sports and Entertainment, was not happy with Hughes’ response. 

“I feel as though he is playing stupid to an extent,” Ponte said. “As a pro athlete who’s media trained, you should see how people could take laughing at Trump’s comment as sexist.” 

Hughes’ mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, has been a longtime developmental consultant for the women’s team. Ponte said that he should “know better.”

“He should understand the importance of the achievements of women in Olympic hockey, and not dismiss them,” Ponte said.

This situation is stirring up a new debate about keeping politics out of sport, and fans are split. 

“I think a team immersing themselves into politics while saying they are not political is not a good look,” said Kelly Rose, a sports journalist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “It’ll be a learning experience for the men’s team, especially the Hughes brothers.”

Hilary Knight, the captain for Team USA’s women’s hockey team, called the joke “distasteful” at a press conference on Feb. 25. However, Knight could have been referring  to Trump specifically and not the team as a whole. 

“I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and is overshadowing that connection,” Knight said.

Fans are asking the men’s hockey team to keep their political opinions out of the game so this incident can be avoided in the future.

“I think the main lesson is to just be cautious and keep your political opinions separate from your sport,” Ponte said. “I feel like if Trump wasn’t on the phone in the first place, none of this would’ve happened and there would have been no controversy.”

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