Frost Olympians hold no ill will toward U.S. men’s hockey team

To Kelly Pannek, there were so many more stories to tell from Milan.

“I would love to talk more about how our team was, how close we were, how special the group was, how historic the accomplishment was,” said Pannek, a veteran forward for the Frost who helped Team USA win the Olympic women’s hockey gold medal with a 2-1 overtime win over Canada on Feb. 19. “There’s so many different stories we could talk about. We could talk about Drew Schofield [2½-year old son of U.S. and Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield] and how much of a star he is.”

Instead, the Frost’s U.S. Olympians, who returned to practice Feb. 25, were asked for their reaction to President Donald Trump’s phone call to the jubilant U.S. men’s team after its 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the gold medal game on Feb. 22. Trump told the beer-soaked members of the locker room they were invited to the State of the Union address. He added he’d have to invite the women’s team, too, or face impeachment. Some men’s players chuckled at the line while others said, “Absolutely,” and “two-for-two,” in support of the women’s team.

The U.S. women’s team did receive an invitation to the State of the Union address but politely declined, citing academic and professional commitments. The PWHL season resumes Thursday, and the Frost plays Sunday at Montreal.

The consensus from the Frost’s Minnesota contingent was that Trump’s line was irritating but the men’s team meant no disrespect.

“Our experiences with the men’s team was different,” Pannek said. “[It was great] to have their support throughout the tournament and to support them in how great of a moment it was for everyone. We came together and saw how great it was that we both won the gold medal for the first time ever.

“It is what it is. You’d have to ask them about their feelings on it. There’s elements to it — with the phone call specifically, it’s not surprising — but for us it’s all about getting back and putting the focus on our team and what our team accomplished.”

“Things are said, and things are done. At the end of the day, I respect the men’s team,” Heise said. “Winning gold is really, really hard, and we showed what it’s like first. I remember we were sitting in the training room, and they gave us props and left us some beers in the fridge. … We have major respect for them, and things are taken out of turn. At the end of the day, it’s hockey, and we try to keep politics out of it.”

Frost forward Britta Curl-Salemme said the relationship between the men’s and women’s teams in Italy was good.

“We had to share a medical room in the village,” Curl-Salemme said. “I didn’t meet a single one of them that wasn’t kind. They were asking us how we were doing, how our games are going. They were watching, supporting. It was very cool to meet them.”

Curl-Salemme wasn’t a fan of Trump’s joke and some of the reaction to it, but didn’t dwell on it.

“Is that the perfect response? Is that an appropriate joke to make? No, I don’t think so,” she said. “But I just go back to the way [the men’s team] treated us and the support they gave us. 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.”

“Keep in mind the situation,” Curl-Salemme said. “The emotions they’re going through in the locker room. I remember our locker room afterward — you’re laughing at anything.”