{"id":472026,"date":"2026-02-26T00:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/472026\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T00:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:06:12","slug":"stars-goalie-jake-oettinger-reflects-on-olympic-experience-explains-white-house-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/472026\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars goalie Jake Oettinger reflects on Olympic experience, explains White House absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hours before the Stars\u2019 first game back since the Olympic break, Jake Oettinger<\/a> went through his typical morning routine.<\/p>\n

He participated in morning skate, spoke with the media and joked with teammates and staff. <\/p>\n

But Oettinger\u2019s midseason Wednesday didn\u2019t feel so regular.<\/p>\n

During those pregame jokes with the equipment staff, he wore an Olympic gold medal around his neck \u2014 the first Team USA has won since 1980<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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On Wednesday night, he\u2019ll sit between the benches at American Airlines Center while backing up Casey DeSmith as he eases back into NHL play. His front-row seat will be a good one, but nowhere near as good as the view he had for Connor Hellebuyck\u2019s 41-save performance or Jack Hughes\u2019 game-winning goal<\/a> in the 2-1 overtime win over Canada in Sunday\u2019s gold medal game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just trying to get on the ice as quickly as I could,\u201d Oettinger said, recounting the celebration. \u201cI was over in the corner. I was yelling at the lady running the door to try to get that door open as quickly as I could, so I could get out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oettinger was one of three goalies to represent the United States in the Milano Cortina Games alongside Winnipeg\u2019s Hellebuyck and Boston\u2019s Jeremy Swayman. The Stars goalie backed up Hellebuyck for most of Team USA\u2019s games but didn\u2019t see the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely different, definitely tough,\u201d he said. \u201cYou got over there, and you hope to get your number called to get a chance to play. That didn\u2019t happen. All I tried to do was just stay ready and be as good of a teammate as I could.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won the gold medal. That\u2019s all that matters. To be a part of the team that won the first gold medal since 1980 is something that I\u2019ll always cherish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being an Olympian and winning gold was a dream Oettinger first established as a child playing hockey in Minnesota<\/a>. He was able to share the experience with his entire extended family in Italy, including his father, his younger brother, his wife and his 3-month-old son.<\/p>\n

Oettinger said he fully took in the experience \u2014 from living in the Olympic village, to chatting with athletes from other sports, and even attending other events like women\u2019s hockey, figure skating and speed skating.<\/p>\n

But he also cut his experience one day short, opting not to join Team USA at the White House and the State of the Union speech Tuesday night<\/a>. Oettinger was one of five players to return to their respective teams. <\/p>\n

\u201cGetting invited to go to the White House is a tremendous honor,\u201d he said. \u201cI think, for me, I\u2019ve been basically living in Italy for a month. I have a huge stretch run. I wasn\u2019t playing much. I wanted to come back and get my game ready to go, and I also have a 3-month-old baby at home, and we\u2019ve been traveling the world. I think those guys had a great time there, but that\u2019s why I didn\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision by his 20 teammates to visit the White House drew some backlash, as did their celebration with FBI Director Kash Patel in the locker room and a phone call with President Donald Trump during which he invited the men\u2019s team to the White House and joked that he would be impeached if he did not invite the women\u2019s team. The women\u2019s team declined the invitation Monday, citing scheduling conflicts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy opinion on that is there\u2019s no one that supports women\u2019s hockey more than me,\u201d Oettinger said. \u201cI know a lot of those girls personally. I think if you would\u2019ve been at the bar watching the game with me where I was, watching the women\u2019s hockey, there was no one as excited as me when they won the gold medal. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re incredible, and they deserve all the credit in the world. They\u2019re dominant. I was just so happy for those girls. To get to know a few of them personally made it that much cooler. The fact that the men and the women both have the gold medal right now is pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

The whirlwind three weeks ultimately landed the Stars goalie back in his routine in Dallas, playing behind six teammates who also earned the honor of representing their countries. That includes Thomas Harley, a defenseman for Team Canada, who came up just short of the gold medal.<\/p>\n

Three of their teammates \u2014 Radek Faksa, Mikko Rantanen <\/a>and Roope Hintz \u2014 are missing Dallas\u2019 first game back against Seattle due to illness or injury from the tournament. The Olympics led to significant injuries for other big-name players like Pittsburgh\u2019s Sidney Crosby and Los Angeles\u2019 Kevin Fiala. Nevertheless, Oettinger said he hopes the NHL allows its players to play in the tournament every four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the greatest honor I think you can have,\u201d he said. \u201cNow that I think guys have lived it, I think there\u2019s no way they\u2019re ever going to let it go back. All these top guys want to play for their country and play against the best in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are still some mixed emotions in the Stars locker room. Head coach Glen Gulutzan said, \u201cToday, I wish the Olympics weren\u2019t on,\u201d as he drew up a lineup that required a forward call-up from the AHL to field a full roster<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But he can also take some comfort knowing his starting goalie, who is expected to be back in net Saturday against Nashville, is mostly rested \u2014 outside of a little jet lag, partying in the locker room and in Miami, and some soreness from the heavy gold medal that\u2019s lived around his neck for the last four days.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really heavy, so my neck was getting a little sore,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the only reason I took it off. I never want to take it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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