On Feb. 22, 2026, the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team won gold against Canada 2-1 in overtime, ending a drought that began exactly 46 years earlier with the “Miracle on Ice.”
I saw patriotism flood every corner of my social media, and the immense pride and joy I felt for these boys and our country. It didn’t last long when I saw the misogynistic comments made towards the U.S. Women’s hockey team in their celebrations.
Not only was it absolutely disgusting, but it felt hypocritical and extremely disappointing to see the men laughing at a joke about a team that not only has more gold medals but has medaled in every single Olympic Games since the event debuted in 1998.
The disrespect wasn’t just ‘locker room talk,’ it was a reflection of the belief that men’s sports are the default and women’s excellence is the bare minimum.
Yes, the men finally won again. The women have been doing it in record-breaking style for years.
You can make history, represent your country at the highest level and inspire young girls everywhere to do the same and still be laughed at. It’s a feeling women, let alone women in sports, are used to.
In just the XXV Winter Games, Laila Edwards became the first Black woman to win a gold medal. Hilary Knight became the record holder for most career goals and points, and not only did goaltender Aerin Frankel have a record-breaking three-game shutout with 97 out of 99 total shots blocked. Then Frankel, along with Gwyneth Philips, set a new Olympic record for a 352-minute shutout streak, breaking the previous record held by Canada in 2002.
With this being said, a video that was recorded during the initial celebrations shows all the players on a call with President Trump saying, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.” Trump said that if he did not invite the women’s team, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
In response, the whole team laughed before he even got to the punchline, with someone even shouting, “Close the northern border.” Kash Patel, the FBI Director, was also seen drinking beers with the team, giving people another reason to scrutinize him for his constant, unnecessary use of an FBI jet and taxpayers’ money.
For a president who has worked to ban transgender athletes to ‘protect women’s sports,’ he should also be investing in them and giving them the same opportunities and respect that men get.
This reflects poorly on every NHL player involved, a league that recently experienced a jump in its female fandom and ticket sales due to the popularity of the HBO Max queer hockey-centered TV show, ‘Heated Rivalry,’ according to Sports Illustrated.
For two players in particular, defenseman Quinn Hughes and forward Jack Hughes, the optics are even worse. Their mom, Ellen Hughes, began working as a player development consultant for the US Women’s Ice Hockey national team and was going to play in the 1998 Olympics before a career-ending injury.
Ellen Hughes not only helped the women’s team win gold in Milan, but also at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships, and is also credited with helping grow the sport in the U.S. and Norway.
While the women did receive an invite to the State of the Union, they declined, stating that.”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. Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”
Further, in a press conference for the Seattle Torrent, U.S. women’s hockey team captain Hilary Knight commented on the phone call saying that “the joke was distasteful and unfortunate.” She went on to say that its a learning experience on how women should be treated and championed.
In finality she said that, “Now anybody has to sit in front of you and explain someone else’s behavior. Its not my responsibility. ” The whole situation has taken focus off of the team’s achievement and made it political, and she said her goal was to shift focus to their amazing feats.
The team did, however, accept an invite from Flavor-Flav in Las Vegas, though, and they accepted. With the help of companies like StubHub and Alaska Air, and many others, like Elf, wanting to pitch, it helped highlight how supported and loved these women are.
This served as a cruel reminder that women will always be the butt of men’s jokes. I’d like to remind those men that this Olympics was dominated by women with 8 of the 12 gold medals (67 %), and 21 of 33 total medals (64%).
Milan Cortina XXV marks the 6th straight Olympics, summer and winter, where the gold and overall medals have been carried by women.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time women’s sport has been pushed aside in favor of their male counterparts, and it won’t be the last.
This is worth remembering, though. Every time a woman steps on the podium, a little girl is watching and allowing herself to dream bigger. That is the power of this representation. Even if it was just a “joke,” making the success of women isn’t harmless; it’s an example.
All this to show that not only the U.S. women’s hockey team, but all Team USA women athletes have been carrying the standard, without making anyone else a punchline.
