Members of the U.S. Men’s Hockey team that won Olympic gold for the first time in decades are excited to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, according to one of the star players.
Brothers Quinn and Jack Hughes, who play for the Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils, respectively, discussed the invitation Tuesday on “Good Morning America.”
Asked by host George Stephanopoulos whether they would attend the State of the Union, Quinn Hughes said players are excited for the occasion.
“I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, but yes, and we’re excited to go … it’s going to be special for us,” Quinn Hughes said, adding that they are also delighted about the women’s team’s gold medal victory.
“I’m glad you mentioned the women’s team again. We’re extremely happy for them. Obviously there’s a lot going on in social media surrounding our team and their team, but in the last couple of summers, we’ve done a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well.”
The interview follows controversy that began Sunday after Trump called to congratulate the men’s team and invited the players to his speech. Trump joked that he must also invite the women’s team or else he “probably would be impeached.”
Jack Hughes scored an overtime goal to seal the U.S. team’s win against Canada Sunday, notching the team’s first gold medal in 46 years, and Quinn Hughes was named the tournament’s best defender.
The U.S. women’s hockey team, which beat Canada 2-1 on Megan Keller’s goal in overtime for the gold medal as well, was invited to the State of the Union after also winning gold against Canada, but declined the invitation.
