"He'd never have to buy a drink again. He'd be set for life. He ended up being set for about, oh, two hours. Then footage emerged of President Trump calling the team to congratulate them and everyone laughing along with a "joke" he told about having to invite the U.S. women's hockey team (also gold-medal winning and much more dominant) to the White House."
"Hughes quickly went from being an American hero to yet another combatant in the never-ending culture war, to the point that when he appeared on Saturday Night Live less than a week after his goal, the reaction was notably muted compared with the massive pop the women's team got when they came on right after."
"if a documentary is ever made about this gold-medal-winning U.S. men's hockey team, Donald Trump's call and the firestorm that resulted will be right in the middle of it. We may end up remembering it much longer than Hughes's actual goal."
Jack Hughes scored the winning goal for Team USA's men's hockey gold medal, their first since 1980, despite losing teeth during the game. This achievement promised lifetime recognition and celebration. However, within two hours, footage emerged of President Trump's congratulatory call featuring a controversial joke about the women's hockey team. The incident, compounded by Kash Patel's presence, rapidly transformed Hughes from national hero into a culture war participant. His subsequent SNL appearance received muted reactions compared to the women's team's reception. Despite Hughes being less overtly conservative than teammates and having family connections to women's hockey, the political controversy threatens to overshadow his actual athletic accomplishment in historical memory.
Read at Intelligencer
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