Trump’s hockey joke an afterthought for Boston Fleet’s U.S. women’s players

Back home with their gold medals, Boston Fleet players who suited up for the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team say they’re proud Americans still riding the high of victory and are not biting into President Donald Trump’s joke.

A week removed from beating Canada in the gold medal game at the Milan Cortina Games, smiles and laughter abounded at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley, with a trio of USA hockey players back at practice with the Fleet.

American hero Megan Keller, who clinched the gold medal with an overtime goal, told reporters that she didn’t have a response to Trump’s phone call with the U.S. men’s team after it claimed gold over Canada.

Rather, the Fleet team captain called the social media conversation around the interaction between the president and the men’s team “unfortunate.” Keller also focused on how rare it is for both teams to win gold at the same Olympics.

“But all I can say is I have never been more proud to put on the USA jersey,” Keller said, “and I think for a lot of us, it is an honor of a lifetime to represent our country on the biggest stage. We went over there with one thing on mind: Bring home a gold medal for our country.”

“That’s what should be highlighted: As a group, both men’s and women’s, we were able to do something that has never been done before,” she added.

Talking on a speakerphone in the postgame locker room, Trump extended an invitation to the White House to the men’s team, then added, “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.” The president later joked that if he didn’t extend the invitation, he would probably be impeached.

Still riding the adrenaline of beating Canada to claim the USA men’s hockey’s biggest win since 1980, players chuckled along with the president. Some see Trump’s joke as a backhand swipe at the women’s team, while others see it as a shot at his political adversaries.

While the vast majority of the men’s team flew to Washington on Tuesday and visited Trump in the White House before being guests at the State of the Union, many of the women’s players traveled back to their professional or college clubs.

USA Hockey, which said it was “honored” by the invitation, cited logistical issues as the major hurdle that prevented the women’s team from stopping by the White House.

Hilary Knight, who played for Boston-based professional teams for eight seasons across three different leagues, described Trump’s joke as “distasteful and unfortunate.” Knight, a two-time gold medalist in her first season in Seattle, holds an Olympic record for total points by a U.S. hockey player, with 15 goals and 33 points.

“And, I think just the way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point,” Knight said on Wednesday, “and really shines light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats.”

Back in Boston, the two Bruins representatives on the U.S. men’s team have said they wish they reacted differently, with defenseman Charlie McAvoy apologizing on Thursday. He and goalie Jeremy Swayman, who spoke with reporters on Wednesday, highlighted the strong bond between the men’s and women’s teams.

Keller said she and Jack Hughes, who scored the men’s overtime gold-winning goal, have become close friends.

“I saw Jack after I scored my goal, and he gave me a big hug and congratulations,” Keller said, “and I was lucky enough do that for him after he scored his goal. We are going to be gold medalists forever.”

Keller’s teammate Haley Winn, a key defenseman for the Fleet and the U.S. women’s team, scored a goal and four points across seven Olympic games.

“It’s a big social media topic right now, as anything is,” Winn said on Thursday. “But at the end of the day, we both went there to do our job, and we both got that job done. …  They were super supportive of us, came to a lot of our games, we went to their games. They were nothing but awesome to us.”

Fleet head coach Kris Sparre said he had not addressed the situation with his team, saying it would be a “disservice” to the “excitement around our group.”

In his address, Trump said plans were in the works to have the women’s team visit the White House, though it’s unclear when that could happen, USA Hockey said. The team, though, has secured a date in July to celebrate its gold medal with rapper Flavor Flav in Las Vegas.

“Those two teams had never won a gold medal at the same time,” Fleet GM Danielle Marmer said of the men’s and women’s accomplishment. “It is such a special moment, an incredible accomplishment, that anything that detracts from that, for me, is unnecessary. The focus really should be about these players.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report