Days after the women beat Canada in their Olympic final in Milan, the U.S. men’s ice hockey team did the same.
A film shows the players after their final conversation with President Donald Trump, who invites them to the White House. This in itself is nothing unusual – it is traditional for gold medalists to be invited. It is the continuation of the conversation that has sparked a great debate and caused a lot of anger.
The president says – in what is supposed to be a “joke” – that he has to invite the ladies too, otherwise he will be “indicted”.
Now have The players on the US women’s team spoke out about the incident for the first time.
“We really prefer to focus on what we have achieved and the double gold medals that the women and men have won and not diminish that with tasteless jokes,” said Hilary Knight, competing in her fifth straight Olympics in Milan.
Also during a press conference with her team PWHL Team Seattle Torrent, Hilary Knight was asked several questions about Trump’s invitation and his way of expressing himself.
She then replied:
– It is not “my responsibility” to explain other people’s behavior.
Others too Gold team players spoke after returning to their club teams.
– If I’m honest, the phone call isn’t surprising. “But for us now it’s about getting back and focusing on our team and what our team has accomplished,” said Kelly Pannek, who plays for PWHL team Minnesota Frost.
The women’s team declined the invitation to the White House, saying they had “previously planned for academic and professional commitments.”
The men’s team, on the other hand, was there directly after the celebration in Milan and received massive criticism from several quarters for their decision because they laughed at the president’s choice of words instead of not protesting – or at least refraining from laughing.
Several of them After criticism in the media, the players on the men’s team emphasized how much respect they have for the players on the women’s team and how much their gold inspires them.
However, one of the few who have officially stated that they should have behaved differently in the face of the president’s “joke” is goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman. Back in Boston, he said in the context of a locker room interview with multiple media outlets.
“We should have reacted differently,” he said, emphasizing how much respect he has for the women’s team and how special it is that they get to share the golden memories of Milan with the women’s team.
In none of the interviews conducted did the players on the women’s team express any disappointment or criticism towards the men, but rather spoke of their mutual support during the Olympic weeks in Milan.
But team captain Hilary Knight tells ESPN about the fact that the men visited the White House:
– I think that some players found themselves in a difficult situation.
