Neal: Frost players cherish Olympic gold, but irked by Donald Trump’s phone call to men’s team

Frost players who were part of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team returned to practice at Tria Rink on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Their objective achieved, they were ready to resume their chase of a third consecutive PWHL title while hoping for a post-Olympic bump in attention.

“That was a great display of women’s hockey,” said Kelly Pannek, one of six Frost players on Team USA, along with Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Lee Stecklein, Britta Curl-Salemme and Grace Zumwinkle.

“It’s great that there’s 61 players that are coming back to play in the PWHL. And for the fans who were tuning in, they know where to watch their favorite player and grow the game.”

Frost players spoke about the bonding that took place during the Milan Cortina d’Ampezzo Games, meeting Snoop Dogg — he gave them roses for Valentine’s Day — and watching Coyne Schofield’s young son, Drew, become a TV star.

They also talked about spending time with the men’s team, running into them frequently in the Olympic Village and attending each other’s games. The bonding meant a lot to them.

That is what they will remember the most about their experience. We should remember the thrilling way in which the dramatic gold medal game threw this country into rapture.

Just like the women’s team, the U.S. men also won gold. Also against Canada. And it came on a goal in overtime, just like the women’s team.

Unlike the women, the men’s team was visited by FBI director Kash Patel, who proceeded to swig beer and celebrate like he was in goal for that game. Then there was President Donald Trump on speakerphone, offering a trip to the White House.

During his address to the team, Trump included: “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” adding with a laugh that if he didn’t also invite the women’s team, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.”

One player replied, “Absolutely.” Another replied, “Two-for-two.” Most of the rest laughed at the misogynistic statement. It’s far from the first poor statement the commander in chief has made, so we unfortunately have had plenty of practice in handling them.

“There’s elements to it — with the phone call specifically, it’s not surprising," Pannek said.

“Is that the perfect response? It is an appropriate comment or joke to make?” Curl-Salemme said. “No, I don’t think so.

“But I just go back to the way [the men’s team] treated us and the support they gave us. And they were as happy as anyone to see us succeed. They were as happy as anyone to see us succeed, and the same with us for them. That’s what I’m focusing more on.”

Let’s point out a couple things here. There was no evidence that the American women received a call from the White House immediately following their win. There is no evidence that any American dignitary visited their locker room — Pannek said she did not see anyone noteworthy afterward.

Why not?

Do the men’s players who laughed with the president need to be better?

The U.S. women turned down the invitation to the White House while the men accepted. Pannek said their travel schedule was different than the men’s, which made getting to Washington, D.C., in time more challenging for them. Some had other commitments. Coyne Schofield had not joined the Frost by Wednesday because she had to go to Chicago.

I came away thinking the players are more disappointed with the statement by Trump than the laughter by their male colleagues.

The president indicated in his State of the Union address that the team will be brought to the White House in the future, likely following the PWHL season. By then, he might have to honor the Frost for a third title as well.