{"id":470980,"date":"2026-02-25T09:43:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/470980\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T09:43:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:43:58","slug":"stars-goalie-jake-oettinger-skips-team-usas-white-house-state-of-the-union-appearances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/470980\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars goalie Jake Oettinger skips Team USA\u2019s White House, State of the Union appearances"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stars goalie Jake Oettinger<\/a> did not accept President Donald Trump\u2019s invitation to the White House on Tuesday, a team spokesperson told The Dallas Morning News.<\/p>\n

The president invited both the U.S. men\u2019s and women\u2019s Olympic hockey teams to the White House and State of the Union speech after winning gold in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. The men\u2019s team won gold for the first time since 1980<\/a>, and the women won gold for the first time since 2018.<\/p>\n

Trump called the men\u2019s players after their 2-1 overtime win over rival Canada in the gold medal game Sunday to invite them. At the time, he joked that he would be impeached if he did not invite the women\u2019s team. <\/p>\n

The women\u2019s team declined the invitation Monday, citing scheduling conflicts.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Twenty members of the men\u2019s team were in attendance, according to a photo posted on X by White House communications adviser Margo Martin<\/a>. The only players not in attendance were Brock Nelson, Jackson LaCombe, Jake Guentzel, Kyle Connor and Oettinger, but the reasons for their absence are unclear.<\/p>\n

Oettinger plans to return to Dallas on Tuesday, a team spokesperson said, and is expected to back up Casey DeSmith at Wednesday\u2019s home game against the Seattle Kraken. DeSmith, the team\u2019s backup goalie, said he learned he would start the first game back before the Olympic break began because his coaches assumed Team USA would make a deep run.<\/p>\n

Oettinger backed up Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck for most of Team USA\u2019s games in the Olympics, but he did not see the ice during any games in the tournament.<\/p>\n

On Twitter\/X: @Lassimak<\/a><\/p>\n

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n