MILAN — Team USA received a congratulatory phone call from President Donald Trump after its 2-1 win over Canada to take gold in men’s hockey for the first time since 1980.
“He just spoke to the group expressing how proud he was of the group and congratulating everybody on the win,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Obviously this game in a lot of ways was an inspiration to our country.
“I can’t tell you how many texts I’ve received over the last day or so about watch parties at 8 in the morning. I think from a viewership standpoint in the United States, there were a lot of people paying attention, the president included.”
Trump similarly called Team USA before last year’s 4 Nations final, which it lost to Canada against a far more political backdrop. That tournament came amid threats from the White House to annex Canada as the 51st state, and the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ was loudly booed in Montreal before both of Team USA’s games at the Bell Centre.
Those tensions have, mostly, calmed for the time being. Aside from some of the European media, no one was trying to turn the hockey tournament at these Olympics into a political statement, though the Games as a whole had its fair share of Trump-related stories.
There were rumors that Trump may fly to Italy to attend the final on Sunday, but with his State of the Union address on Tuesday, that didn’t happen.
The most the president waded in, at least as it related to hockey, was after the tournament concluded.
“We’re all proud Americans, obviously,” captain Auston Matthews said. “This is a huge moment for us. A huge moment for the United States. He called, just congratulated us.”
Matthews seemed to indicate that a White House visit was possible, though Team USA’s fluctuating travel plans due to the blizzard on the East Coast and the NHL resuming play Thursday may make that a heavy logistical lift.
“I think there’s a lot of moving parts as far as our travels back home. We’ll see what happens,” Matthews said. “It’s an honor to wear this jersey and to represent the U.S. To go home with a gold medal. You know how much that means to guys in this room, to people watching and rooting us on too.”
