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The Air Force gave the U.S. men's hockey team a ride to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before they visited the White House and posed for a photo op with President Donald Trump ahead of his Feb. 24 State of the Union address.
The visit followed a call from Trump after the team's Sunday night gold medal win over Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics, inviting them to attend the speech.
"At the request of the President," the athletes caught an Air Force C-32 aircraft assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing from Miami to the Maryland base on Feb. 24, the Air Force told USA TODAY in a statement.
"Supporting a mission like this requires detailed planning, coordination and a highly trained team of professionals who are prepared to operate anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. Our crews remain ready to execute any mission they are tasked with in support of national priorities," the statement read.
Social media videos posted by administration officials showed the team on a White House tour and posing in a lineup for a photo in the Oval Office. The team departed Milan after the Olympics wrapped up on Feb. 22.
Five players on the men's team did not make the visit, according to reports.
The U.S. women's hockey team was also invited to the White House but declined its invitation, saying in a statement that the players had other "commitments." Trump had joked on the phone with the men's team that he "probably would be impeached" if he did not extend the same invitation to the women's team.
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk posted a picture to his Instagram story showing the team posing in front of the military plane on the tarmac. Dylan Larkin, another team member, posted a photo of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck holding his gold medal next to a "Secretary of Defense" insignia on the plane.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier that day that Trump had called him two nights earlier to tell him that the entire team was invited to the State of the Union.
"Somehow, some way we'll squeeze in the hockey players tonight," Johnson said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US men's hockey team caught Air Force plane to Trump White House visit
Continue reading...
The visit followed a call from Trump after the team's Sunday night gold medal win over Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics, inviting them to attend the speech.
"At the request of the President," the athletes caught an Air Force C-32 aircraft assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing from Miami to the Maryland base on Feb. 24, the Air Force told USA TODAY in a statement.
"Supporting a mission like this requires detailed planning, coordination and a highly trained team of professionals who are prepared to operate anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. Our crews remain ready to execute any mission they are tasked with in support of national priorities," the statement read.
Hockey players line up in Oval Office
Social media videos posted by administration officials showed the team on a White House tour and posing in a lineup for a photo in the Oval Office. The team departed Milan after the Olympics wrapped up on Feb. 22.
Five players on the men's team did not make the visit, according to reports.
The U.S. women's hockey team was also invited to the White House but declined its invitation, saying in a statement that the players had other "commitments." Trump had joked on the phone with the men's team that he "probably would be impeached" if he did not extend the same invitation to the women's team.
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Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk posted a picture to his Instagram story showing the team posing in front of the military plane on the tarmac. Dylan Larkin, another team member, posted a photo of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck holding his gold medal next to a "Secretary of Defense" insignia on the plane.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier that day that Trump had called him two nights earlier to tell him that the entire team was invited to the State of the Union.
"Somehow, some way we'll squeeze in the hockey players tonight," Johnson said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US men's hockey team caught Air Force plane to Trump White House visit
Continue reading...
