NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 It took until noon on Saturday, less than 12 hours before showtime, for the script to arrive.<\/p>\n
The opening monologue for \u201cSaturday Night Live,\u201d of all things, was about to become a turning point in a national celebration that had somehow gone sideways in the week after the U.S. won Olympic gold in men\u2019s and women\u2019s hockey. Instead of basking in the glory of twice beating rival Canada in overtime, players like Hilary Knight and Megan Keller on the women\u2019s side<\/a> and Jack and Quinn Hughes on the men\u2019s side<\/a> were fielding questions about politics and sexism.<\/p>\n Executive producer Lorne Michaels told the players the show was going to have some fun with the situation.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump joking on a call with the men that he\u2019d get impeached if he didn\u2019t also invite the women to the White House drew laughter from some of the players and plenty of criticism<\/a>. Their appearance at the State of the Union address \u2014 after the women\u2019s team declined<\/a> for logistical reasons \u2014 also derailed the headlines and conversation further into politics<\/a>.<\/p>\n The celebration limped along to the weekend, where \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d<\/a> star Connor Storrie was hosting \u201cSNL.\u201d Late in the monologue, he told the hockey stars how cool it was that they were all there together and Knight delivered a line<\/a> for the ages:<\/p>\n \u201cIt was going to be just us,\u201d Knight said, \u201cbut we thought we\u2019d invite the guys, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Applause and laughter lit up the studio along with wide smiles \u2014 Jack\u2019s gap-toothed version, too<\/a> \u2014 from those on stage. Two nights later, the Hughes brothers and Knight shared a couple of fist-bumps on \u201cThe Tonight Show\u201d after Jimmy Fallon<\/a> reminded them they all just won gold at the Olympics.<\/p>\n The good humor helped reset a national narrative that had threatened to taint the milestone moment as the U.S. celebrated its first twin hockey golds in history. <\/p>\n Getting from awkwardness to relief took a lot of work, according to interviews by The Associated Press, with dozens of people at multiple agencies, leagues and networks coordinating a a plan to put the focus back on the teams\u2019 accomplishments in Milan.<\/p>\n The path to prime time started long before gold was assured<\/p>\n On Feb. 19, a couple of hours after Keller\u2019s overtime goal beat Canada<\/a>, employees with the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League reached out to NBC \u2014 the major rights holder for the Olympics in the United States, to gauge possibilities for a well-deserved victory lap. USA Hockey, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Wasserman, the agency that represents Knight, quickly got involved.<\/p>\n One night later, when the U.S. and Canada reached<\/a> the men\u2019s final, NHL VP of corporate communications Nirva Milord finalized a grid of every player on the two teams and his schedule for the following two weeks. While the Games were ongoing in Italy, Milord was plotting out how to move fast after Sunday\u2019s gold medal game with the NHL schedule resuming on Wednesday back in North America.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to know when they were going to be off because obviously they\u2019re not going miss a game,\u201d NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer said.<\/p>\n Jack Hughes\u2019 OT goal<\/a> came just before 11 a.m. Eastern Sunday. Pat Brisson, who represents all three Hughes brothers as a key agent for Creative Arts Agency, was swamped with requests.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Jack scored the goal, we got so many calls,\u201d Brisson said, estimating somewhere between 50 and 75 requests for appearances.<\/p>\n Among them on that busy day was an ask from \u201cSaturday Night Live,\u201d which wanted the golden goal-scorer. Jack Hughes alongside brother Quinn was a perfect fit, and so was the combination of Knight and Keller. <\/p>\n \u201cNirva had the relationship at \u2018Saturday Night Live\u2019 and immediately put it into action because we knew right off the bat, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s take this and run with it,\u2019\u201d Mayer said. \u201cThese are moments that when you have those opportunities, you seize on them.\u201d<\/p>\n There were plenty of unforeseen roadblocks along the way<\/p>\n Before flying home, men\u2019s and women\u2019s players enjoyed a moment back in the dining hall at the athletes\u2019 village following the closing ceremony, with gold medals hanging around all their necks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re telling stories, have a few drinks and just countless laughs,\u201d forward Matthew Tkachuk said. \u201cIt\u2019s been unbelievable, celebrating with them \u2014 them winning first was a great motivator for us<\/a> \u2014 and just becoming close with a lot of the girls on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n The plan all along was for everyone to fly from Milan to New York, the perfect place for mainstream media attention for a sport that often takes a back seat to the NFL and NBA in the U.S. <\/p>\n Mother Nature had other plans, with a blizzard bearing down on parts of the East Coast. The U.S. women were diverted to Atlanta and a decision was made to shift the destination of the charter flights carrying the NHL players<\/a> to Miami. By then, Trump\u2019s comment had become a talking point along with his invite to Tuesday night\u2019s State of the Union speech.<\/p>\n A majority of the U.S. men\u2019s team decided to go to Washington for a visit to the White House and the speech, throwing another wrench into the post-party planning. The women had long made plans to head home and were not going. Suddenly, scheduling was more complicated than anyone anticipated.<\/p>\n How it all went down<\/p>\n After Trump\u2019s speech, the players scattered to their teams with games to play, but the stars also had to keep some attention on media obligations.<\/p>\n Keller and Jack Hughes each did \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show\u201d on ESPN, with their agencies working to get them booked. Knight appeared on \u201cCBS Mornings,\u201d along with llona Maher\u2019s podcast, \u201cHouse of Maher.\u201d<\/p>\n NBC had agreed quickly about \u201cSNL\u201d and \u201cThe Tonight Show.\u201d It was just a matter of making sure it could happen.<\/p>\n