Victory Marked by a Familiar Double Standard:
An Olympic Congrats Call That Took an Unexpected Turn
As many of you are aware, the XXV Olympic Winter Games took place throughout February, from the 6th to the 22nd. They were held in northern Italy, specifically Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. These games marked many achievements for individual athletes and entire countries alike. However, an event that has gained more attention than others, for all the wrong reasons.
The very last day of competition saw the Men’s Gold Medal Game in Ice Hockey. The teams were Canada and the USA, who had won their games against Finland and Slovakia, respectively, two days prior. The USA won 2-1. There are a few reasons that this particular match is going viral.
Firstly, with all that is going on politically in the United States, many people from all over the world—not just Canada—seemed to be actively rooting against the US in all events. This has been shown throughout the entire competition, with people booing Vice President JD Vance and other USA political figures who made appearances. Many people seem to view this hockey match, specifically, as a milestone because Canada has been one of the major nations affected by the Trump Administration. Unfortunately, this loss hit us and many other nations, who are feeling the effects of this political situation, very hard.
Secondly, almost immediately after the US Men’s team won, they received a phone call, which has since been leaked, from President Trump congratulating them on their achievement. While arranging to invite them to the White House, Trump states, while audibly laughing, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?” This sparks a round of laughter from the team. Trump continued with “I do believe I probably would be impeached, okay?”, followed by more laughter.
The USA Women’s team had also won gold in their final match against Canada on February 19th. This is their 3rd gold medal since Women’s Hockey was introduced at the 1998 Nagano Games. On the other hand, the USA Men’s Hockey team, in the 25 appearances they have made since their debut in the 1920 Summer Olympics, have won gold 3 times, as well. Comparatively, the Women’s team has won gold at 37.5% of their games, while the Men’s team are sitting at only 12%.
Knowing this, the video footage of the call sparked outrage among the public. Many people were disgusted with the behaviour of the men’s team and the President, considering their actions to be sexist and misogynistic in nature. When asked about what she thought, the women’s team captain, Hilary Knight, said, “I just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate.” She followed this statement up by discussing how women are represented in regard to their achievements, and that explaining someone else’s behaviour is “not my responsibility”.
Following this affair, the men’s visit with the President occurred, with video footage of them eating McDonald’s in the White House surfacing. Meanwhile, the women’s team were seen enjoying lunch with renowned actor and food critic, Stanley Tucci.
On Saturday, February 28th, Connor Storrie, famous for his role as Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry, hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL). During his monologue, he brought out the Hughes brothers, along with Hilary Knight and Megan Keller, another member of the women’s team. The four joked that it was supposed to be just the girls, but “we thought we’d invite the boys, too”, a silly way of doing damage control and ending the tension between both teams.
Sources:
- “Canada vs United States of America – Play by Play | Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics”, 2026
- JWS Staff, “Actor Stanley Tucci dines with U.S. women’ss hockey team as White House treats men’s team to McDonald”, Feb. 26 2026
- SBS News, “US President Donald Trump inviting the US men’s ice hockey team to the white house” TikTok, Feb. 27, 2026
- “Women’s Olympics Team”, USA Hockey, 2026
- “Past Men’s Olympic ice hockey tournaments”, USA Hockey, 2026
- Image: https://www.tennessean.com/picture-gallery/sports/2018/02/26/us-womens-national-ice-hockey-team-best-images-from-olympics/110851818/
