Team USA ice hockey star Jack Hughes, known for being featured in one of the most iconic sports photos in recent memory, said his fans are probably going to be “p*ssed” when he fixes his broken teeth.
The 24-year-old athlete <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nhl/article-15629235/jack-hughes-usa-olympics-hockey-teeth.html">told</a> The Daily Mail that dentists are chomping at the bit for the opportunity to repair his cracked smile, but Hughes knows the repair won’t go over well with everyone. 
“Yeah, the amount of dentists that have reached out, man, it’s too many,” he told the outlet during an appearance at Raising Cane’s in Times Square on Monday. “But I’m going to get them fixed, hopefully this week.”
“I think people will be p*ssed if I do get them fixed,” Hughes added.
Team USA won gold during the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan for the first time in 46 years. The game came down to overtime against Canada. Hughes, a center and alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils, scored the winning goal.
Hughes was captured in an iconic, patriotic photo that quickly went viral. The ice hockey player can be seen smiling a bloody, broken grin, raising his fist in victory, and posing with an American flag draped around his shoulders. Viewers praised the emotions conveyed by the single image, which at once exemplified grit, determination, and ultimately, American excellence. 
But any new or old fans should already know that Hughes wasn’t willing to live with broken and missing teeth forever, even if his smile helped make him famous.
One reporter asked about it after Team USA’s big win last month, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gold-lost-teeth-and-a-true-grit-american-moment-from-jack-hughes">reported</a>.
“You get hit in the face. You lose a tooth or two. You still maintained your composure and stayed in the game. You’re tough enough to keep playing, you scored the winning goal … what is that like?” the reporter asked at the time.
“Yeah. I mean, it sounds like definitely crazy for you guys because just different profession, but in hockey, like, if you lose your teeth, it’s not even a question of, like, coming back and playing,” Hughes replied. “That’s like an automatic.”
Hughes described the moment he realized what had happened, saying, “I just, like, was feeling around my mouth and I was just disappointed I lost my teeth…but it is what it is now, so,” he added while laughing.
When asked whether he planned to keep his smile the way it was, he said, “No, I’m going to fix these things, I want my good smile back.”
&nbsp;

Jack Huges

Team USA Hockey Star Jack Hughes Says Fans Won’t Be Happy When He Fixes Famous Smile

Team USA Hockey Star Jack Hughes Knows Fans Will Be 'P*ssed' When He Fixes His Teeth

Hockey

Men's Hockey

Olympics

Team USA

Winter Olympics

Someone grab the Zamboni. There is a meltdown happening right now on social media over the United States Olympic men&#8217;s hockey team.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a fu*king scary time on hockey twitter right now,&#8221; a user <a href="https://x.com/admbeaumont/status/2026106336207856012">posted</a> to X after penning an entire article about their disgust with the men&#8217;s team.
The team that should be universally celebrated for winning the United States a gold medal in men&#8217;s hockey. Instead, they&#8217;re being torn apart by people on the Left who expected a group of jocks 10 bottles of booze deep in the locker room after making history to stand up to President Donald Trump for cracking a joke about the women&#8217;s hockey team.
&#8220;I will actually never look at those men the same ever again,&#8221; another person on X <a href="https://x.com/hrts4celebrini/status/2026240198015590844">wrote</a>. &#8220;The USA women&#8217;s hockey team deserves an apology for so much more.&#8221;
The men&#8217;s team immediately celebrated the women&#8217;s accomplishment after their own overtime gold-medal match. Jack Hughes, the golden goal scorer, said the first thing he thought about moments after scoring the winning goal was Megan Keller, who had scored the winning goal for the women&#8217;s team.
During the locker room celebration, the men&#8217;s team can be heard yelling &#8220;two for two,&#8221; meaning the golden hockey sweep, which marked the first time ever the men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s teams brought home the top Olympic prize.
Still, the hate is piling on because the men accepted the president&#8217;s invitation to the State of the Union on Tuesday in Washington, something most would call a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However, Greg Cote, host of &#8220;The Dan Le Batard Show,&#8221; who couldn&#8217;t find the back of a mile-long net, called the men&#8217;s hockey team a &#8220;willing pawn&#8221; for attending Tuesday&#8217;s State of the Union.
&#8220;As long as the players realize that, this is an immensely unpopular president with half of the nation. Going to this, to serve as a willing pawn, is controversial,&#8221; Cote <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usa-hockey-players-receive-warning-170103943.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAE97FKmhLGLodzFNszdAgV8GlSjx98OoVINXLZVdK2ucQPtffIUafBLu-OnAoslhyA9_4Zy1CNBzZzimmzy3j6JZsAIcTzACAFQHJGKoqWR0WBghdcOy-E81e3n0m2bh4gxPloip3O64CdVzbfVGq2_8V_QL3YMDDOG4rIYmM5xT">said</a> Tuesday.
The women&#8217;s team declined, stating prior commitments.
&#8220;We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women&#8217;s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,&#8221; a USA Hockey spokesperson said to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/us-womens-hockey-team-declines-trumps-invitation-state-union-rcna260299">NBC News</a>.
There are people online comparing the men&#8217;s hockey team to January 6 rioters for not denouncing what most considered a joke in real time during a celebratory beer pong game.
&#8220;It&#8217;s so crazy to be so disrespectful of women&#8217;s sports when your mom is literally a pioneer for women&#8217;s hockey,&#8221; another person <a href="https://x.com/satosgs/status/2025797932029510011?s=20">said</a>.
Ellen Hughes, who worked with the Olympic women&#8217;s team and is a medal winner herself, was asked about the phone call with the men&#8217;s team on Tuesday morning and simply called for unity.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unity-over-politics-ellen-hughes-schools-media-after-team-usas-historic-double-gold-sweep">Unity Over Politics: Ellen Hughes Schools Media After Team USA’s Historic ‘Double Gold’ Sweep</a>
&#8220;At the end of the day, it’s just about the country,&#8221; Hughes said. &#8220;I think the moment that these players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country—people that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side—that’s all both teams care about.&#8221;
Hockey on X for sure won&#8217;t like that completely sane response.

Credit: Elsa via Getty Images

The Left Cannot Handle The Olympic Hockey Team Having Fun And It’s Hilarious

The Left Cannot Handle Hockey Being Fun And It's Hilarious

News

Sports

Not even 48 hours after they clinched their first gold medal in 46 years, the men of the U.S. Olympic hockey team landed on American soil — and proceeded with gusto to paint the Miami club scene red, white, and blue.
Videos quickly circulated on X of the team descending on the popular Miami hotspot E11even, where they led the crowd in a loud, raucous rendition of &#8220;The Star-Spangled Banner.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The US hockey team rolled into E11ven night club in Miami and led the club in singing the national anthem. This is phenomenal: <a href="https://t.co/Fq3oa3NwZN">pic.twitter.com/Fq3oa3NwZN</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/2026186773030678923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The boisterous — and clearly infectious — patriotism didn&#8217;t stop there, as members of the team then went on to lead the crowd in singing Lee Greenwood&#8217;s &#8220;God Bless the U.S.A.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
US hockey team leads Miami’s E11ven night club in singing Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” <a href="https://t.co/tV7tx338df">pic.twitter.com/tV7tx338df</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/2026295728897740859?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The team led the singing themselves, pouring drinks for fans as they sang along. And when the song came to the iconic line — &#8220;I will gladly stand up next to you, and defend her still today&#8221; — every single member of Team USA stopped and stood tall.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Elite patriotic awareness from the US gold medal hockey team during Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” last night. You’ve gotta skate to where the puck is going, not where it is. <a href="https://t.co/o6ze96AHuh">pic.twitter.com/o6ze96AHuh</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/2026308752912404583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The late country star Toby Keith&#8217;s &#8220;Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue&#8221; also got a nod during the celebration.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
US men’s gold medal hockey team leads E11ven night club in singing along to Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” <a href="https://t.co/SPx32kKbk3">pic.twitter.com/SPx32kKbk3</a>
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/2026306274573644002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The team is also set to join the crowd on Tuesday evening for President Donald Trump&#8217;s State of the Union Address. Trump issued the invitation during a post-game call to the locker room just after Team USA clinched the gold in a nail-biter of a game. He was barely able to get the words out before members of the team interrupted to tell him, &#8220;We&#8217;re in!&#8221;
Team member <a href="https://x.com/curtishouck/status/2026280462759436783">Quinn Hughes</a> — alongside his brother and teammate Jack Hughes — told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday that everyone was looking forward to attending the president&#8217;s address.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know how much we&#8217;re allowed to say, but yes. Yeah, we&#8217;re excited to go. Something you don&#8217;t get to do — I don&#8217;t know what today is — every Tuesday. But yeah — but, it&#8217;s going to be special for us, but I&#8217;m glad you mentioned the women&#8217;s team again. You know, we&#8217;re really happy for them. Obviously, a lot going on on social media surrounding our team and their team. But, you know, the last couple we&#8217;ve done a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well. We&#8217;re extremely happy to come,&#8221; he said.
Jack Hughes, upon landing in Miami on Monday, spoke to a reporter about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gold-lost-teeth-and-a-true-grit-american-moment-from-jack-hughes">losing teeth</a> in the gold-medal game and still going on to score the game-winning goal.
&#8220;It sounds like definitely crazy for you guys because just different profession, but in hockey, like, if you lose your teeth, it’s not even a question of, like, coming back and playing,” Hughes said. “That’s like an automatic.&#8221;
&#8220;The Gold Medal is for all the guys that have come before us, and all the young kids that are going to come after us,” he added. “We want to leave USA Hockey in a better place than when we first got there.&#8221;

USA Men’s Hockey Team Celebrate Their Olympic Gold At E11EVEN Miami

SEE IT: Fresh Off Olympic Gold, USA Hockey Brings Red-White-And-Blue Swagger To Club In Miami

Donald Trump

Media

Politics

Team USA Hockey star Jack Hughes explained during a Monday interview why it never occurred to him not to keep playing after he lost his front tooth in the gold medal matchup against rival Canada.
Hughes, taking the question after he and his teammates returned to the United States, said he knew that to anyone in any other profession, he might &#8220;sound crazy,&#8221; and, though disappointed about losing a tooth, there was no way he would have come off the ice for that.
WATCH:
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Team USA star Jack Hughes was asked about the moment he lost his tooth during the Olympic gold medal game.
He said he never even questioned whether he would continue playing after.
HUGHES: “Yeah. I mean it sounds like definitely crazy for you guys because just different… <a href="https://t.co/d4aMKnnhPt">pic.twitter.com/d4aMKnnhPt</a>
— Overton (@overton_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/overton_news/status/2026039414195990921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The question was a simple one: &#8220;You get hit in the face. You lose a tooth or two. You still maintained your composure and stayed in the game. You&#8217;re tough enough to keep playing, you scored the winning goal &#8230; what is that like?&#8221;
&#8220;Yeah. I mean, it sounds like definitely crazy for you guys because just different profession, but in hockey, like, if you lose your teeth, it’s not even a question of, like, coming back and playing,&#8221; Hughes replied. &#8220;That’s like an automatic.&#8221;
Hughes described the moment he realized what had happened, saying, &#8220;I just, like, was feeling around my mouth and I was just disappointed I lost my teeth.&#8221;
&#8220;But it is what it is now, so,&#8221; he added with a laugh.
When asked whether he planned to keep his newly rearranged grin, he said, &#8220;No, I’m going to fix these things, I want my good smile back.&#8221;
Pressed for a smile so that everyone could get a good look at the damage, Hughes said no — but clearly struggled not to smile.
Hughes stepped up when asked to add a message for his &#8220;young fans,&#8221; saying that the hard-fought gold medal — the first for Team USA Hockey since 1980 — was not just for him and his teammates, but for all the young aspiring hockey players who would come after them.
&#8220;The Gold Medal is for all the guys that have come before us, and all the young kids that are going to come after us,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We want to leave USA Hockey in a better place than when we first got there.&#8221;

Ice Hockey – Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Day 16

Gold, Lost Teeth, And A True-Grit American Moment From Jack Hughes

Gold, Lost Teeth And A True-Grit American Moment From Jack Hughes

If you missed the Olympic gold medal hockey game between the United States and Canada, you missed a doozy. 
It was a truly spectacular hockey game. The US took a 1-0 lead in the first period and held it all the way until the third period, when the Canadians evened the score. Then they ended up in sudden-death overtime, where Jack Hughes delivered a game-winner for the ages. 
He&#8217;d already taken a high stick to the face, so he was missing a bunch of teeth.
It was the most hockey thing ever.
What was really refreshing about it was the way that the men&#8217;s hockey team responded: basic patriotism. I know this has now become controversial among some folks, but there&#8217;s nothing controversial about America being awesome. 
After the game, Jack Hughes said, “This is all about our country now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It&#8217;s unbelievable. The USA Hockey Brotherhood is so strong, and we had so much support from our players, and I&#8217;m so proud of the Americans.”
Isn’t that great? Can&#8217;t we simply feel good about that? 
The answer for some people, of course, is no.
Many people are not feeling good about Team USA winning gold, because how can you be proud of America in the age of Donald Trump? 
Here&#8217;s the thing: If Barack Obama were president and Team USA won gold in men&#8217;s hockey, I think we&#8217;d all still feel pretty good about it.  
So why does that change if you don&#8217;t like the president of the United States?
Notice how the men&#8217;s hockey team reacted when President Trump called. Were they upset that Trump called them? 
No, because he&#8217;s the president of the United States. 
Just get over it. You might not like him. It doesn&#8217;t matter. When the president of the United States calls to congratulate you on winning a gold medal for the United States, you take the call, and you smile. 
There are many reasons to feel good about this, and it&#8217;s a reminder of the sort of stuff that typically unites Americans. The first is that we like meritocracy. Virtually every major television event of the last year and a half has been a sports event. Why? Because sports is one of the few areas of American life where we all agree that meritocracy is taking place, that the best team wins, or the team with the most guts.
That&#8217;s where all the drama lies. Meritocracy is about the adventure. It&#8217;s about the drama. It&#8217;s about the thrill of victory. That&#8217;s why Americans love it. 
And so watching the hockey team win gold is awesome because sports are the realm of meritocracy. 
The second thing that always unites Americans is having a common enemy in sports. The common enemy is whoever the United States is playing against. 
This has been true forever, and not just for the United States. There is a very famous British phrase used in the lead-up to World War I that stated the wars won on the battlefield began on the playing fields of Eton, meaning that soldiers first learned to work as a team by playing sports as boys, and that connected them to masculinity and military prowess.
And so it&#8217;s easy for Americans to come together when there&#8217;s a common opponent. One of the reasons we have splintered so much as a nation over the last several decades is that the United States is, in fact, a global hegemon. That is why there&#8217;s a feeling that most of our conflicts are internal. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2372-murica-us-hockey-team-wins-it-all"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-981859 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
But that&#8217;s not true. The vast majority of real conflicts on planet Earth are between the United States and nefarious powers. This game meant a lot to America because it was a unifying moment. 
But of course, I&#8217;m joking when I equate the Canadians to the Russians. If the United States had defeated a global superpower in hockey that was also geopolitically an enemy like the Russians or the Chinese, that would have been even bigger. That&#8217;s what the 1980 Olympic hockey game was all about. 
But for Americans to truly feel unified, we have to see what&#8217;s on the other side of the fence. Otherwise, we tend to tear ourselves apart internally.
The breakdown here is fascinating sociologically. You&#8217;re seeing two groups of people who are looking at this wonderful event, this fun and unifying event, and trying to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Some people on the Left are saying, &#8220;How dare we feel good about America in a time when Donald Trump is president of the United States?&#8221; 
The Huffington Post had a piece by Monica Torres titled, “There&#8217;s A Name For The Discomfort You&#8217;re Feeling Watching The Olympics Right Now.” Torres added, “If waving the American flag or chanting USA turns you off right now, you&#8217;re not alone.”
You should be alone because you suck. 
But that&#8217;s the basic idea here from some members of the Left. 
I&#8217;m supposed to feel bad that the American men&#8217;s hockey team won the gold because you didn&#8217;t vote for the guy who is currently in the Oval Office?
This is a split between the Right and the Left in virtually all polling data. Conservatives are always patriotic about the country, even when a Democrat is president. Democrats are significantly less patriotic about the country when a Democrat is not president.
There’s also a bizarre, fringe movement on the Right, trying to suggest that this isn&#8217;t a cool thing. Why? Because it turns out that some members of the U.S. men&#8217;s hockey team are not necessarily the most conservative on every single issue. So now we&#8217;re going to delve into their social media histories and try to determine whether Jack Hughes voted for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Are you kidding me with this crap? 
I know that a lot of the time it doesn&#8217;t feel like we&#8217;re on the same team. Yes, there are Americans who are not on our team. The people who are not on our team are people rooting for foreign powers, and who see America as essentially a dispensable nation unless they win, unless they get their way. 
The reason people feel good today about what happened at the Olympics is that it was a nice reminder that we do share a country, and it&#8217;s good that we share our country.

Red, White, And Overtime: Why America’s Hockey Gold Still Matters

America

Jack Hughes

The U.S. women&#8217;s hockey team, which won gold against Canada earlier this week, said on Monday that the players could not attend President Donald Trump&#8217;s State of the Union address, citing &#8220;previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.&#8221;
Trump invited the U.S. women&#8217;s and men&#8217;s hockey teams to attend his address on Tuesday night after both teams brought home the gold medal, with each team taking down arch-nemesis Canada in overtime. While not yet official, the men&#8217;s hockey team appeared excited to make the trip to Capitol Hill for Trump&#8217;s address. The women&#8217;s team, however, said that &#8220;the athletes are unable to participate.&#8221;
&#8220;We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,&#8221; a USA Hockey spokesman said, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/us-womens-hockey-team-declines-trumps-invitation-state-union-rcna260299">NBC News</a>.
The women&#8217;s team dominated during the Olympics, allowing just two goals throughout the entire tournament. Despite blowing past Canada in the preliminary round 5-0, the U.S. women found themselves trailing late against Canada in the gold-medal game. In a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/revenge-served-cold-team-usa-takes-gold-over-canada-in-olympic-sudden-death-overtime">thrilling finish</a>, Hilary Knight tied the game with just two minutes left before Megan Keller scored the game-winner in sudden-death overtime to lift the U.S. women past Canada.
A State of the Union invite is a rare honor, as members of Congress, as well as the speaker and the president, are afforded a very limited number of guests. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Monday that officials were working to &#8220;figure out logistics&#8221; for the House to host both teams, which would include dozens of players and coaches, POLITICO <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/23/congress/usa-hockey-teams-sotu-00793130">reported</a>.
“There’s no way to have special guests on the floor because it’s a literal session of Congress,” he said. “But we’re going to work and do what we can to accommodate.”
After the United States won its first gold medal in men&#8217;s hockey since 1980 on Sunday, Trump spoke to the team over the phone and invited them to the State of the Union.
&#8220;I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,&#8221; Trump told the men&#8217;s team after its victory over Canada. He joked that if he didn&#8217;t also invite the women&#8217;s team, &#8220;I do believe I probably would be impeached.&#8221;
The U.S. men&#8217;s team, most of whom were chugging beers alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, was ecstatic when Trump spoke to them over the phone in the locker room.
&#8220;We&#8217;re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I could send a military plane or something if you would like to,&#8221; Trump said. Some of the players then replied, stating, &#8220;We&#8217;re in!&#8221;
&#8220;If you could work that out, I would be honored to have you all,&#8221; Trump added.
The men&#8217;s team flew back to the United States on Monday, arriving in Miami after their flight was rerouted due to the massive winter storm in the Northeast. Star forward Matthew Tkachuk told reporters that the team would spend the day in Miami before flying to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Asked if they would attend the State of the Union, Tkachuk replied, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what our plan is yet.&#8221;
Tkachuk said &#8220;it was an honor&#8221; to get a call from Trump after the gold-medal victory.
&#8220;We&#8217;re definitely honored to represent him and hundreds of millions across the country, bringing a gold medal back,&#8221; he added.

Ice Hockey – Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Day 13

Two Gold-Medal Teams, Two Very Different Responses To Trump’s Invitation

General

State of the Union

U.S.

Women's Hockey

In the wake of Team USA&#8217;s first Olympic gold in men&#8217;s hockey since the 1980 &#8220;Miracle on Ice,&#8221; two prominent leftist outlets derided the patriotic celebration, triggering a visceral response from the American public.
Huffington Post posted the following on X: “If waving the American flag or chanting ‘USA!’ turns you off right now, you&#8217;re not alone.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If waving the American flag or chanting “USA!” turns you off right now, you&#39;re not alone.  <a href="https://t.co/ndUODJtix4">https://t.co/ndUODJtix4</a>
&mdash; HuffPost (@HuffPost) <a href="https://twitter.com/HuffPost/status/2025221670592508339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/theres-a-name-for-the-discomfort-youre-feeling-watching-the-olympics-right-now-goog_l_6997616ce4b012cccb427770?d_id=11546752&amp;ncid_tag=tweetlnkushpmg00000067&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=us_main">HuffPo article</a> linked in X post went further, arguing: “While President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda separates families, and federal agents detain 5-year-olds and kill unarmed civilians, American athletes are winning medals on behalf of the nation at the Olympics right now. This whiplash between pride for United States competitors and national shame for the federal government is common.”
The article continued: “The degree to which you feel shame and guilt right now for cheering U.S. Olympians might also depend on how much cognitive dissonance you have between the stated values of being American –– freedom, revolutionary spirit, opportunity for all –– versus how our government has actually acted in the hundreds of years since the U.S. was formed &#8230;”
The post was brutally “ratioed” — social media shorthand for when replies vastly outnumber likes. By Monday morning, it had received roughly 25,000 replies compared to about 1,500 likes.
&#8220;If you can’t be excited about winning gold at the Olympics— including in OT vs Canada, you don’t have a pulse. Some people will pick victimhood and being miserable over having an ounce of patriotism. Good luck,&#8221; Oklahoma GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin wrote on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If you can’t be excited about winning gold at the Olympics— including in OT vs Canada, you don’t have a pulse.
Some people will pick victimhood and being miserable over having an ounce of patriotism. Good luck. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/3bRT9ONwWs">https://t.co/3bRT9ONwWs</a> <a href="https://t.co/deLxmJJ3vw">pic.twitter.com/deLxmJJ3vw</a>
&mdash; Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenMullin/status/2025656019481661520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Axios acknowledged the celebratory environment but also <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/22/maga-hockey-olympics-gold-medal-canada">threw cold water</a> on the excitement, writing: “Celebrating American athletes is nothing new — but in a hyper-partisan political environment, the president and MAGA world voices have also used their platforms to boo some U.S. talent.”
The Left mocking the patriotic Olympic moments is not new. During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Time Magazine<a href="https://time.com/8473/its-time-to-get-over-the-miracle-on-ice/?utm_source=chatgpt.com"> downplayed</a> the legacy of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice,” writing: “In the professional sporting press, references to the Miracle on Ice have become a grating cliché, much more likely to inspire a cringe in the context of Sochi than a wistful stare into the distance.”

HuffPost Mocks Team USA Pride — Americans Clap Back

Huffington Post

Patriotism

President Donald Trump made a very important phone call on Sunday — a call to the locker room in Milan, Italy — to congratulate the United States men&#8217;s hockey team after they clinched their first gold medal in nearly half a century.
Video circulated on X of the team receiving the president&#8217;s phone call in the locker room as they celebrated their overtime victory over rival Canada, and the players responded with cheers and laughter as he congratulated them on a job well done.
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You can hear the genuine pride in Donald Trumps voice when he called the Team USA Hockey Team <a href="https://t.co/ch6GbXShwh">pic.twitter.com/ch6GbXShwh</a>
— Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarrisonKrank/status/2025740079319175508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;By the way, your goalie played &#8230; not bad,&#8221; Trump could be heard saying of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, and several of the players laughed and cheered. &#8220;I have seen hockey goalies have slightly worse games than you did. Unbelievable – and you were all unbelievable. And that team is pretty good you played, I don&#8217;t know if you have to play them again any time soon.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ll tell you what, I just told my people two minutes ago, I didn&#8217;t know they&#8217;d be calling, I said we&#8217;re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;I could send a military plane or something, but if you would like to, it&#8217;s the coolest night, it&#8217;s the biggest speech —&#8221;
Several of the players interrupted as Trump was talking to say, &#8220;We&#8217;re in!&#8221;
&#8220;Can you pick us up in Miami on Tuesday morning?&#8221; one asked.
Trump said that FBI Director Kash Patel — who could be seen in the video as well — would help get the necessary plans moving to get Team USA to the State of the Union.
&#8220;The nice thing about being president, is I can tell you, you don&#8217;t have to worry about the weather or landing,&#8221; Trump added, prompting more laughter from the team. &#8220;We don&#8217;t care if it&#8217;s snowing, if it&#8217;s the worst blizzard, you&#8217;ll be sailing through that sucker just like you did on the ice.&#8221;
&#8220;Thank you, Mr. President!&#8221; one shouted then.
Trump went on to joke about an upcoming visit to the White House, saying that he would &#8220;have to&#8221; also invite the women&#8217;s team — who also defeated Canada in their gold-medal match days earlier — and getting more laughs from around the locker room when he predicted he&#8217;d be impeached if he didn&#8217;t.
&#8220;Congratulations, that was an unbelievable game,&#8221; Trump said as they wrapped up the call. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know one person that wasn&#8217;t — everybody that called me said, &#8216;I&#8217;m watching the hockey game,&#8217; I don&#8217;t know of anybody that wasn&#8217;t. You&#8217;re going to be proud of that game for fifty years as you grow older, I mean, it was amazing. Congratulations, we love you guys, and I hope to see you!&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m going to shake hands with everybody, but I gotta shake hands with that goalie,&#8221; Trump concluded, and the room exploded again with laughter and cheers.
&#8220;We&#8217;ll see you Tuesday night, Mr. President,&#8221; one said.
&#8220;I&#8217;m driving the bus, boss,&#8221; Patel quipped as the video came to an end.
&#8220;He just spoke to the group expressing how proud he was of the group and congratulating everybody on the win. Obviously this game in a lot of ways was an inspiration to our country,&#8221; Coach Mike Sullivan said of the president&#8217;s call. &#8220;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.&#8221;

Listen To Donald Trump’s Call To USA Hockey Team

FBI Director Kash Patel praised the gold-medal winning U.S. hockey team — and mocked the &#8220;very concerned media&#8221; — in a social media post acknowledging that he had, in fact, rubbed elbows with the Olympic champions after their dramatic win over Canada.
&#8220;For the very concerned media — yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys,&#8221; Patel posted on X. &#8220;Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.&#8221;
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For the very concerned media &#8211; yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys- Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.…
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kash_Patel/status/2025736412125855918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Patel shared another congratulatory post earlier on Sunday, including several photos of the team and of himself celebrating alongside them. &#8220;Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude,&#8221; he said. &#8220;What it takes to be the best in the world. These men live and breathe it. Now Team USA are gold medal champions, legends standing on the shoulders of giants. Thank you for representing the greatest country on earth, in the greatest game ever created. Congrats, boys.&#8221;
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Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude- what it takes to be the best in the world. These men live and breathe it. Now Team USA are gold medal champions, legends standing on the shoulders of giants. Thank you for representing the greatest country on earth, in the greatest game ever created.… <a href="https://t.co/hBG987pxM2">pic.twitter.com/hBG987pxM2</a>
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kash_Patel/status/2025663993205936176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The game Patel attended was historic in itself, as the American team won in overtime against rival Canada — marking the first time a U.S. men&#8217;s hockey team has won Olympic gold in 46 years. In fact, the Americans haven&#8217;t taken the top of the podium since the game dubbed &#8220;the Miracle on Ice&#8221; — 1980&#8217;s Lake Placid win over the heavily-favored Soviet Union.
Patel&#8217;s trip to Italy — which coincided with the final weekend of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and included a number of visits with various Italian officials — has been the subject of much media speculation.
Some outlets criticized the FBI director over the timing of the trip, claiming that the real purpose was for him to attend the Olympic Games at taxpayer expense. Others were concerned about the number of active investigations in which the FBI was playing a role.
Xochitl Hinojosa, a Democratic strategist, <a href="https://x.com/XochitlHinojosa/status/2025731516236480756">complained</a>, &#8220;There was a threat at the president’s residence at MAL, Americans in Mexico are facing major threats by cartel members, Nancy Guthrie is still missing, and our FBI Director thinks he’s a frat bro?&#8221;

Kash Patel Owns Partying With USA Hockey Team: ‘Yes, I Love America’

Kash Patel Owns Partying With USA Hockey Team: 'Yes, I Love America'

Italy

The White House taunted former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the United States bested its northern neighbor in a tense overtime battle on Sunday at the Milan Olympics.
Following the win, President Donald Trump&#8217;s White House took to X to share an image of a bald eagle smashing a Canada goose face-first into the ice.
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<a href="https://t.co/kOiCXdVMao">https://t.co/kOiCXdVMao</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZIiychKPoo">pic.twitter.com/ZIiychKPoo</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2025604750608040191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The White House was responding to a post shared by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trudeau-says-you-cant-take-our-country-after-canadas-narrow-hockey-victory-over-team-usa">Trudeau</a> one year earlier, after Canada defeated Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey championship, as The Daily Wire previously reported. Days earlier, the Americans had bested Canada in Montreal — after Canadian fans booed America’s national anthem. American fans fired back ahead of Thursday&#8217;s game, booing during the singing of “O Canada.”
&#8220;You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game,&#8221; Trudeau said at the time, jabbing at Trump over prior claims that he&#8217;d annex Canada and make it the 51st state.
Semifinal victories on Friday (the United States over Slovakia and Canada over Finland) had pitted the North American neighbors against each other for the finals — the Americans delivered the win in a nail-biter that went into overtime on Sunday morning.
Trump himself also offered congratulations to the American team, saying, &#8220;Congratulations to our great U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW! President DONALD J. TRUMP.&#8221;
Sunday&#8217;s win marks the first time in 46 years — to the day — that a U.S. men&#8217;s Olympic hockey team has won gold. The last time it happened, in 1980, a team comprised of college students was able to overcome enormous odds and best the heavily-favored defending gold-medal team from the Soviet Union. The stunning upset was quickly dubbed the &#8220;Miracle on Ice.&#8221;
The USA men&#8217;s victory comes just three days after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trudeau-says-you-cant-take-our-country-after-canadas-narrow-hockey-victory-over-team-usa">women&#8217;s gold-medal match</a> on Thursday — which was also a showdown between the United States and Canada. The American women went into the final game with a strong tournament record, outscoring their previous six opponents 31-1 and not allowing a single goal in more than five consecutive games. They, too, came out victorious.

General Views in New York

White House Taunts Justin Trudeau After U.S. Hockey Bests Canada In Olympic Gold-Medal Match

Justin Trudeau

It’s been exactly forty-six years since the men’s United States hockey team last won Olympic gold. On Sunday, that streak was snapped in a tense, overtime victory against Canada.
For most of the game, it wasn’t clear that the United States would prevail after the team spent much of the game in the defensive zone — even after American Matt Boldy scored the first goal six minutes into the first period.
But despite holding a 1-0 lead, the U.S. couldn&#8217;t seem to get a grip on the game and seize control, relying on key saves from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. With two minutes left in the second period, Canada’s Cale Makar managed to get one past Hellebuyck, tying the game 1-1.
The third period followed a similar script, and the game was sent into overtime.
But less than two minutes in a thrilling 3-on-3 sudden-death round, American Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal and captured the gold medal.
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For the first time in 46 years. USA MEN’S HOCKEY HAS WON GOLD!! JACK HUGHES WITH THE GOLDEN GOAL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympics2026?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympics2026</a> <a href="https://t.co/dfN5ZJ2U6e">pic.twitter.com/dfN5ZJ2U6e</a>
— The Main Event Hub (@MainEventHub) <a href="https://twitter.com/MainEventHub/status/2025601317687726446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The Olympic tournament seemed almost predestined for Team USA until the quarterfinal matchup, where the U.S. went into an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-mens-olympic-hockey-team-snags-win-in-overtime-thriller?author=Andie+Valdes&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=U.S.+Men%E2%80%99s+Olympic+Hockey+Team+Snags+Win+In+Overtime+Thriller">overtime</a> nail-biter against Sweden. They eventually defeated them by a slim 2-1 when two-time all-star Quinn Hughes came through with the game-winner. The team went on to swiftly defeat Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinals.
Adding icing to the cake, the win took place on the anniversary of the ‘Miracle on Ice’ — where Team USA defeated the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War — which has gone down as one of the greatest wins in sports history. It was the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, when a team of American college players upset the heavily-favored and defending gold medalists in a 4-3 victory. The broadcaster Al Michaels famously asked, &#8220;Do you believe in miracles? YES!&#8221; as the game ended.
Nearly half a century later, another generation of Americans has carved its own place in history, and the legacy of Olympic hockey for Team USA endures.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to congratulate the team, saying, &#8220;Congratulations to our great U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW! President DONALD J. TRUMP.&#8221;
Jack Hughes had nothing but high praise for the country and his teammates.
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&#8220;This is all about our country right now. I love the USA&#8230; We&#8217;re so proud to be Americans.&#8221;
— Jack Hughes, <a href="https://twitter.com/usahockey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@usahockey</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/XI9tcdKein">pic.twitter.com/XI9tcdKein</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2025607656031842794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This is all about our country. I love the USA. I love my teammates. So proud to be an American today. Just a ballsy, gutsy win,&#8221; he said.

USA Wins Olympic Hockey Gold In OT Thriller Over Canada

After a thrilling quarterfinal round, the U.S. men&#8217;s hockey team is now only two games away from capturing Olympic gold — something they have only done twice — and not since 1980.
The team secured the win over Sweden in an overtime nail-biter, eventually defeating them by a slim 2-1 when two-time all-star Quinn Hughes came through with the winning shot.
Despite a scoreless first period, it seemed like the Americans seized control when Dylan Larkin scored in the second period with the assists of Hughes and his brother Jack — coupled with unstoppable goaltending by Connor Hellebuyck. But with just 91 seconds left on the clock, Sweden&#8217;s Mika Zibanejad beat Hellebuyck to tie the game.
The teams then went to 3-on-3 sudden death overtime, where only ten minutes are given to score before moving to a shootout. Three and a half minutes into overtime, Hughes took a pass from his teammate Matt Boldy, ripped home the game-winner, and became Team USA&#8217;s hero. It marked his second point of the game, and sixth in the tournament.
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Quinn Hughes sends the USA Men&#8217;s Olympic Hockey Team to the semi-finals against Slovakia with this OT winner!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAHockey?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAHockey</a> <a href="https://t.co/KkvvAYFejQ">pic.twitter.com/KkvvAYFejQ</a>
— Grand Canyon State Sports (@GCStateSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/GCStateSports/status/2024259726524248412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The U.S.-Sweden match was just one of three quarterfinals that required overtime today, as Canada barely overtook the Czech Republic, and Finland also almost lost to Switzerland.
Team USA will compete against Slovakia, coming off a 6-2 win over Germany, in the semifinals on Friday afternoon. Canada will play the reigning Olympic gold champions, Finland. If the United States and Canada can both deliver in the semifinals, what a competitive rival match it will be on Sunday.
On the women&#8217;s side, the U.S. team — who last won gold in the 2018 Winter Games — has had sweeping wins over its competition throughout the entire Olympic tournament and is set to take on Canada for another gold on Thursday.

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