USA Hockey Star Jack Hughes Breaks Silence on White House Visit

Following the overtime victory, U.S. President Donald Trump FaceTimed the men’s team to invite players to attend Tuesday's State of the Union address. He also extended an invitation for a White House visit.

"Yeah, we're excited," Hughes said. "Everything is so political. We're athletes; we're so proud to represent the U.S. And when you get the chance to go to the White House, meet the president, we're proud to be Americans, and that’s so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we're super excited to go to the White House.”

Hughes also addressed the negativity surrounding the political controversy, while noting that the women’s team had scheduling conflicts, which prevented them from attending.

"They got busy schedules too," Hughes added. "Everyone’s giving us backlash for all that social media stuff today, but it’s so negative. People are so negative out there, and they’re trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing.”

The U.S. women’s hockey team was also dominant throughout the tournament, winning gold by defeating Canada in overtime on Thursday. Although the women were officially extended an invitation, they ultimately declined, citing scheduling issues.

President Trump is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast live on major television networks and cable news channels.