While most of the U.S. men’s hockey team visited the White House on Tuesday, not everyone made the trip to D.C.

WASHINGTON — Twenty of the 25 players on the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team visited the White House, but only 17 attended President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday. 

Five players skipped the trip to the Capitol and the White House on Tuesday. NHL regular season resumes with five games on Wednesday and the PWHL resumes on Thursday.


Which hockey players skipped Trump’s State of the Union?

Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe are not in Washington, D.C., with the rest of their U.S. Olympic men’s hockey teammates, according to multiple reports.

Three more players — team captain Auston Matthews, Clayton Keller and Dylan Larkin — were not seen during the speech.

The U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in overtime on Sunday at the Milan Cortina Olympics. It was the Americans’ first gold medal in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” group won in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980.

The team received an invitation to the State of the Union from Trump following the game. 

A video that circulated on social media appeared to show Trump inviting the team on a phone call in the locker room, as he joked that he’d also have to invite the women’s team, which also won gold over Canada.



Did Trump invite the women’s hockey team to the State of the Union?

Yes, the U.S. women’s hockey team also received the same invite to the State of the Union. However, the women declined, citing scheduling issues.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the women’s players didn’t learn of the invite until late Sunday night, making it difficult to change their travel plans. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the team’s travel plans.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.