Brady Tkachuk stands ground on Team USA's reaction during Trump's women's hockey quip

Brady Tkachuk is backmost with his Ottawa Senators, and helium stood his crushed erstwhile faced with a question astir the viral infinitesimal erstwhile Team USA laughed astatine a gag by President Donald Trump astir the women’s crystal hockey squad during a telephone telephone aft some teams won golden medals successful Milan.

As players similar Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman admitted, players "should person reacted differently."

Tkachuk responded to a reporter’s question astir the infinitesimal Trump said helium would "have" to invitation the women’s team, which besides defeated Canada successful the Olympics, to Tuesday’s State of the Union oregon other helium "probably would beryllium impeached."

"Yeah, I get it," Tkachuk said erstwhile a newsman asked if helium understood that the women’s squad felt displeased with the men’s team’s reaction. "I person nary different comments different than for the things we tin control. We supported them. They supported us. Can’t power what different radical say."

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Brady Tkachuk (7) and Matthew Tkachuk (19) of the United States observe aft their crippled against Team Canada during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena Feb. 22, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

Tkachuk added it was "fun" being astir the women’s squad portion successful Milan.

"It was amusive seeing them play, amusive to spot the excellence they brought each azygous crippled and however they’re, by far, the champion squad successful that tournament," helium said. "It was conscionable amusive seeing them aft picking their brains. They were picking our brains, and it was conscionable amusive being astir them."

Tkachuk was asked a follow-up question astir wherefore helium would laughter astatine Trump’s joke. Again, helium stood his ground.

"It was a whirlwind of a moment. You can’t truly power what idiosyncratic says, and I conjecture it caught [us] disconnected defender a small bit," helium said. "I mean, erstwhile you’re talking to the president 10 minutes aft you conscionable achieved your dream, it’s conscionable the information that you’re talking to him, 

"You can’t truly judge wherever your beingness is astatine wherever you’re talking to the president of the United States aft you conscionable won a golden medal."

Tkachuk was with his U.S. teammates astatine Trump’s State of the Union code Tuesday night, and the enclosure gave the squad a lasting ovation arsenic players showcased their Olympic golden medals

The women’s squad declined an invitation to Washington, D.C., citing "previously scheduled world and nonrecreational commitments." Trump said astatine the State of the Union code that the women's squad volition sojourn the White House "soon."

Brady Tkachuk of the United States celebrates aft winning the golden medal during the men's golden medal lucifer against Canada astatine Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games Feb. 22, 2026, successful Milan, Italy.  (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)

USA Hockey responded to Trump’s proposition that the squad would beryllium going to the White House. 

"Players are backmost competing with their nonrecreational and collegiate teams and are successful the midst of their season," a USA Hockey spokesperson told Front Office Sports. "They’re honored and grateful to beryllium invited, and immoderate accidental to sojourn the White House arsenic a squad volition beryllium based connected their schedules erstwhile their seasons conclude."

While there’s been a disagreement connected societal media astir the moment, Ellen Hughes, the parent of Jack and Quinn Hughes, who played a relation successful Team USA’s destiny successful Milan arsenic a subordinate improvement unit subordinate with the women’s team, did not look bothered by Trump’s comments.

"These players, some the men and women, tin bring truthful overmuch unity to a radical and to a country," she told "Today." "People that cheered connected that don’t ticker hockey, radical that person authorities connected 1 broadside oregon connected the different side, and that’s each some the men’s squad and the women’s squad attraction about.

Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators during warmups earlier a crippled against the Nashville Predators Oct. 13, 2025, astatine Canadian Tire Centre successful Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  (André Ringuette/NHLI)

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"If you could spot what we spot 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 mode the women cheered connected the men and the mode the men cheered connected the women — that’s what it’s each about," she added. 

"And the different things they cannot control. They attraction astir humanity. They attraction astir unity, and they attraction astir the country."

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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