LaCombe snagged Olympic gold as an injury replacement, then chose to return to California over the State of the Union.
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe was the latest addition to the Team USA men’s ice hockey roster at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, filling in as an injury replacement for Florida Panthers right-shot defenseman Seth Jones.
LaCombe was the clear eighth defenseman on the US roster and did not dress or register a second of ice time during his team’s seven-game run to the gold medal game. Despite his lack of game action, LaCombe returned home with a gold medal around his neck.
“The team is so good, and there are so many great players there,” LaCombe said of his personal experience there. “Everyone has a different role. Obviously, I knew that going in there, that’s what it was going to be like. But for me, I just had so much fun, and it was so special to represent the United States.”
In a dramatic overtime thriller, the US won the Gold Medal over rival Canada on Sunday. The team flew to Miami to celebrate on Monday and was invited to Washington DC to attend the State of the Union Address on Tuesday.
20 of the 25 US roster players accepted their invite, with LaCombe being one of the five to decline, as he returned to Southern California on Tuesday morning. The Sporting Tribune’s Zach Cavanaugh asked LaCombe about that decision.
“It was a huge honor to be invited there by our president,” LaCombe said. “It was just so special. I love our country. I love whoever is in office. So, it was just such an honor, but I just wanted to be back here for the game, and it was a tight window, so I couldn’t make it work. That was the only reason, I just wanted to be ready to go, back with these guys.”
The US men’s team was joined in their locker room celebration by the current Director of the FBI, who was holding the phone when the invitation to Washington was made, sparking an online reaction.
“Honestly, it all happened so fast,” LaCombe said. “I didn’t really have a reaction to it. It was special getting a call from the President, and we were all just excited to hear that. A lot of it has been pretty crazy. But for us, it was just about representing our country, and I thought everyone did such a good job of that. So for us, that’s what it was all about.
There’s also been a strong reaction to the US players’ reaction to a joke made at the expense of the US women’s ice hockey team, who also won gold and in a more dominant fashion than the men’s team, by the US President during a phone call in the locker room immediately after the men’s victory.
LaCombe was asked by Cavanaugh if he had a thought on what was said about the women’s team.
“No, no. To be honest, I didn’t. It was kind of being funny, whatever it was,” LaCombe said. “We just wanted to represent our country, and I know they did too. We were really close to them, too. It’s really important to us and to them, and that’s kind of the main thing.”
The Ducks enter the NHL’s return to action on Wednesday in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference and a point behind their Wednesday night opponent, the Edmonton Oilers. LaCombe is expected to play with two massive points on the line, and assume his normal role as the Ducks' top defenseman against some of the world's top offensive talents on Edmonton.