Several players of men’s hockey team skip White House event | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload ourSocial PartnerWe are 8 logo (opens in a new tab)AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleAlex WoodwardTuesday 24 February 2026 22:04 GMTTrump hosts USA Men's hockey team in Oval OfficeThe gold-medal-winning U.S. men's Olympic hockey team is meeting President Donald Trump in the Oval Office Tuesday ahead of his State of the Union address.Video showed Trump shaking hands with the champions and forward Matthew Tkachuk posted pictures on social media showing the team celebrating on a U.S. government plane and deplaning.Players Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, Jackson LaCombe, Brock Nelson and Jake Oettinger did not attend the event.The U.S. team secured their first men's hockey gold medal since 1980 by defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime at the Milan Cortina Olympics.Trump invited the team to the State of the Union address following their victory and was said to be trying to make room for the team to watch his remarks.In fullTrump welcomes USA Men’s Hockey team to the White House ahead of State of the Union speech: Live updatesThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in