In the locker room after Team USA\u2019s<\/a> gold medal win over Canada, Trump invited the men\u2019s team to the State of the Union address via a phone call. He told the men\u2019s players that he\u2019d “have” to invite the women\u2019s team, otherwise “I probably would be impeached,” and the players laughed.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s comments and the men\u2019s team\u2019s reactions went viral and drew criticism from fans. Oettinger was asked his thoughts on Trump\u2019s phone call and his comments.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/a><\/p>\n Jake Oettinger warms up before the match against Germany at the Winter Olympics at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 15, 2026. (Bruce Bennett\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “My opinion on that is there’s no one that supports women’s hockey more than me. I know a lot of those girls personally. I think if you would’ve been at the bar watching the game with me where I was, watching the women’s hockey, there was no one as excited as me when they won the gold medal,” Oettinger told reporters on Wednesday.<\/p>\n “They’re incredible, and they deserve all the credit in the world. They’re dominant. I was just so happy for those girls. To get to know a few of them personally made it that much cooler. It\u2019s pretty cool in the fact that the men and the women both have the gold medal right now.”<\/p>\n Oettinger said he attended the women’s hockey team’s win over Canada during the preliminary rounds.<\/p>\n Jake Oettinger before the Slovakia match at the Winter Olympics in Milan on Feb. 20, 2026. (Hassan Ammar\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n The women\u2019s hockey team initially declined Trump\u2019s invitation to the White House, but the president announced during the State of the Union<\/a> that the players would be visiting.<\/p>\n Oettinger backed up Team USA\u2019s star goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, during the tournament but did not appear on the ice throughout the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old goaltender was one of five players who did not go to the White House to visit Trump. Oettinger said getting invited was a tremendous honor but cited family and the Stars\u2019 upcoming stretch run as reasons for not going.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n Jake Oettinger, Connor Hellebuyck and Jeremy Swayman celebrate after winning the gold-medal game at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 22, 2026. (James Lang\/Imagn Images)<\/p>\n “First of all, getting invited to go to the White House is a tremendous honor. I think, for me, I’ve been basically living in Italy for a month. I have a huge stretch run. I wasn’t playing much,” Oettinger said.<\/p>\n “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’ve been traveling the world. So that was kind of what went into that. I think those guys had a great time there, but that’s why I didn’t go.”<\/p>\n Brock Nelson, Jackson LaCombe, Jake Guentzel and Kyle Connor were the other members of Team USA who did not visit the White House on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s sports coverage on X<\/a>, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related Article Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n![\"Jake](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772152524_641_jake-oettinger-team-usa-in-action.jpg\")
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