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Hilary Knight made her stance clear on President Donald Trump’s quip about the United States women’s ice hockey team that won Olympic gold last week.
While on the phone with the men’s team after they had won gold, Trump said he would “have” to invite the women’s team, which also beat Canada to win the Olympics, to Tuesday’s State of the Union. Otherwise, he “probably would be impeached.”
Knight, the women’s captain and all-time leading goal scorer and points leader, said on Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that Trump’s “distasteful joke” has “overshadow[ed]” the women’s success.
“I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and, unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats,” Knight said.
“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time. And really not detract from that with a distasteful joke.”
Knight also gave the men’s team the benefit of the doubt for appearing to laugh at Trump’s comments.
“I think there’s a genuine level of support there and respect,” she said. “I think that’s being overshadowed by a quick lapse. I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on.”
Jeremy Swayman, the men’s team’s backup goaltender, admitted the team “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s comments. But he and Jack and Quinn Hughes all spoke highly of the women’s team and their relationships with them.
“We know that we are so excited for the women’s team. We have so much respect for the women’s team. To share that gold medal with them is something we’re forever grateful for,” Swayman said.
Jack Hughes told reporters after the game that the first thing he thought about when the puck went in was Megan Keller, who scored the golden goal for the United States women’s team against Canada three days earlier.
The brothers’ mother, Ellen, a former Team USA player and current player development staff member, said the players only cared about “bring[ing] so much unity to a group and to a country.”
Knight scored the tying goal late in the third period to force overtime, which led to Keller’s golden goal that gave the women’s team its third Olympic gold.
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