This is not the first time that the US Olympic champion has curry favor with Donald Trump – here he presents him with a golden stick during the Florida Panthers’ visit to the White House (January 15, 2026).Image: keystone
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The US hockey players win Olympic gold and then show a lack of political sensitivity. This shows that they are not suitable as role models for normal life.
February 25, 2026, 4:19 p.mFebruary 25, 2026, 4:19 p.m
For a brief moment, the United States was just that: united. After the women’s ice hockey team, the men’s ice hockey team also defeated arch-rival Canada in the final and secured their first Olympic gold since 1980 and the famous one “Miracle on Ice”.
Barely an hour later, the USA is caught up in its political reality again. FBI chief Kash Patel celebrates with the Olympic champions in his dressing room – he has the trip to Italy at the expense of the taxpayer returned. The ice hockey heroes laugh on the phone about a misogynistic comment from US President Donald Trump at the expense of their colleagues from the women’s national teamwith whom they are celebrating at the same time. 20 of the 25 gold heroes accept Trump’s invitation to the White House.
Video: Watson/Lucas Zollinger
«Everything is always so political. We are athletes,” Gold shooter Jack Hughes tries to put this decision into perspective. This is pure hypocrisy. What could be more political than letting a quasi-dictator use him to improve his image? A convicted felon who is named almost 40,000 times in the Epstein Files. Auston Matthews, whose mother is Mexican and whose home is in Canada, laughs with a president who questions the sovereignty of these two countries.
Players rally behind a government that distributes AI videos on official channels that portray them as speaking disrespectfully about their opponents. The US Golden Boys know exactly what they are doing here. They just don’t care – or in some cases it’s exactly their political line.
It should come as no surprise that many of them kowtow to Trump or even support him – more or less secretly. Hardly any sport is more conservative than ice hockey. It’s an upper class sport. Equipment, memberships and ice rental are extremely expensive. Many of the players usually come from elite backgrounds, which are often rather conservative. There is hardly any mix of population groups – around 97 percent of NHL players are white.
And then the best (North American) players in the world often have a youth that can hardly be compared with “real life”. They leave their parents’ home at the age of 14 to 16 to become a god in junior hockey in a small town somewhere. They are adored in their schools and have almost every wish fulfilled; mistakes rarely or never have consequences. Many of them do not have a traditional high school diploma, much less a full college education. Instead, they sign player and advertising contracts worth millions before they turn 20. No wonder they agree with Trump’s policies, which are always about making the rich even richer.
Matthew Tkachuk has already earned $66.5 million in his career – excluding endorsement deals.Image: keystone
These players never had to deal with the realities of the world. Since their mid-teens, they had lived in a bubble in which they rarely had to justify themselves and were always protected from everything. There are no uncomfortable questions for them in the NHL. While the American, Canadian or both anthems are played before every game and soldiers are often honored, Pride Nights or other minority celebrations have been abolished because they are said to be too political.
The NHL stars can afford to be politically ignorant (at best) or to sycophize a more than controversial political figure. Of course there are exceptions – players like Morgan Rielly and Roman Josi or former players like Joni Merrill, who regularly advocate for inclusivity and diversity in ice hockey.
Jon Merrill’s foundation speaks out against the US men’s actions.
But on the whole, the majority of them are not suitable as role models in normal life – and certainly not as political yardsticks. The US Olympic champions proved this with their insensitive behavior after the gold medal.