The Workforce USA’s males’s hockey group obtained roaring cheers and applause throughout Donald Trump‘s State of the Union handle on Tuesday night (February 24) in Washington, DC.
Members of the gold-winning group first met with the President earlier that day within the Oval Workplace, earlier than making an look through the handle later that evening.
Whereas 20 members of the group made the journey to the White Home, together with siblings Jack and Quinn Hughesempty Connor Hellebuyck and extra, there have been 5 guys who didn’t go.
Preserve studying to seek out out extra…
Brock Nelson, Jackson LaCombe, Jake Oettinger, Jake Guentzel and Kyle Connor all skipped the DC go to on Tuesday.
In keeping with Individualsnative reporters famous that Brock skipped the journey to return house to his household, and Guentzel went again to Tampa to prep for a recreation the subsequent day. The opposite gamers additionally returned house to prep for his or her group video games.
In the direction of the start of his State of the Union handle, Trump welcomed the Workforce USA males’s hockey group, congratulated them as soon as once more and even revealed one group member will obtain the Presidential Medal of Freedom!
“Right here with us tonight is a gaggle of winners who simply made all the nation proud. The lads’s gold medal Olympic hockey group,” Trump stated as “USA!” chants started and the group filed in to the room above him.
“They beat a implausible Canadian group in extra time as all people noticed,” he continued after the cheers and chants died down. “As did the American girls, who will quickly be coming to the White Home.”
Trump‘s declare that the ladies’s hockey group will go to the White Home comes after they beforehand turned down an invite because of prior commitments. Since then, Taste Flav has invited the ladies to have fun their win with him in Las Vegas.
“They have been within the Oval Workplace earlier than, and I simply wish to say a second, very massive congratulations to Workforce USA, however I’ve to say that… And I instructed them this and we took a vote of the group. I stated, ‘Anyone that votes no, I’m not doing it,’” Trump continued through the SOTU handle. “In order that they stood there they usually frightened about saying no, ’trigger I by no means seen a goaltender play in addition to Connor Hellebuyck.”
“I simply wish to inform you that the members of this nice hockey squad might be very glad to listen to, based mostly on their vote and my vote, and on this case, my vote was extra vital,” he went on. “That I’ll quickly be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor, which we might be giving, and which has been given to many athletes over time… It’s known as the very best civilian honor in our nation, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Earlier within the week, Trump‘s invite to the lads’s hockey group drew a lot backlash on-line as he referenced the ladies’s group, and the way he “could be impeached” if he didn’t additionally invite them.
Flick through the gallery for extra photographs of the Workforce USA males’s hockey group on the State of the Union handle…