Jack Hughes, who scored the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA on Sunday, said the men's squad is very tight with the American women's team, which also won gold. His comments come after an exchange between U.S. president Donald Trump and the men's team surfaced on social media.
Jack Hughes said Team USA's men's and women's teams are tight-knit amid backlash to a video taken after Sunday's gold medal game.
The video appears to show FBI director Kash Patel holding a phone inside the dressing room as U.S. president Donald Trump called the men's squad, which beat Canada 2-1 in overtime that day.
Trump suggested bringing the men's team to the White House before mentioning the women's hockey team, which won the gold medal in overtime against Canada last Thursday.
"And we have to — I must tell you — we're going to have to bring the women's team," Trump said on the phone. There was audible laughter in the dressing room at Trump's comment.
"(If I don't) do that, I do believe I probably would be impeached, OK?," Trump added.
Hughes, who scored the overtime-winner on Sunday, acknowledged the team is getting backlash about the laughter when talking to the Daily Mail in Miami on Monday. He spoke in support of the women's team.
"Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Athletes' Village, I think we are so tight with their group," Hughes said. "After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 a.m. in the morning with them, and we go from there, pack our bags, and we're on the bus.
"People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them, and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us."
Hughes' mother, Ellen Hughes, is a consultant for the U.S. women's team and addressed the criticism during an appearance on the Today Show.
"These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country," Ellen Hughes said. "People that cheered on that don't watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that's all both the men's team and the women's team care about."
Her comments were also on par with what Jack Hughes said about the tight-knit men's and women's teams.
"If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that's what it's all about," Ellen Hughes said.
The women's team declined the White House's invitation to the State of the Union due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.
"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," a USA Hockey spokesperson told NBC News on Monday. "They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment."
Jack Hughes defended the women's team declining the invitation.
"They've got busy schedules, too," he told the Daily Mail. "Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today. People are so negative out there, and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing."
Hughes also said the team's excited to meet the president.
"Yeah, we're excited. Everything is so political. We're athletes," Hughes said. "We're so proud to represent the U.S., and when you get the chance to go to White House and meet the president, we're proud to be Americans, and that's so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we're super excited to go to the White House (Tuesday) and be a part of that."
The team flew on a military plane to Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
That said, not all players on the U.S. men's team made the trip.
According to reports, Winnipeg Jets left winger Kyle Connor, Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Jake Guentzel and Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson are back with their teams.
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