Team USA women’s hockey captured its third Olympic gold medal dramatically on February 19, defeating its archrival Canada 2-1 in overtime at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. But when the invitation arrived to celebrate that achievement at President Donald Trump’s White House, the gold medalists had an unexpected answer.

As NBC News White House Correspondent Monica Alba first reported, the White House did extend an invitation to the U.S. women’s hockey team to attend the State of the Union, but one of their spokespersons said, “We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement. Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”

The statement came soon after President Donald Trump congratulated the U.S. men’s hockey team, posting on X: “Congratulations to our great U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW!”

He followed that up with a celebratory phone call to the team after their overtime gold medal win over Canada. In the video of that call, which quickly went viral, the president invited the players to the White House, then added, almost casually, “I must tell you, we’re gonna have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.”

The women’s team, for their part, offered no public commentary beyond the official statement, which was directly given by the USA hockey spokesperson. Their roster includes seven players who are still competing at the collegiate level, with academic schedules that resumed shortly after the Games concluded. Sixteen others play professionally in the PWHL and face their own commitments.

For now, the statement does not mention whether the scheduling conflicts could have been resolved under different circumstances. However, their entire Olympic champion didn’t go unnoticed.

This Team USA was on fire during the Winter Olympics

The women’s hockey team went undefeated in the Milan Olympics with a record of 6-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L). With this, they outscored opponents 33-2 through seven games, including winning the finale without a loss since the 1998 Nagano Games.

And their coach was proud beyond words. “Winning gold here in Milan was the ultimate goal, and our group battled constantly to make that a reality. From our veteran leadership to our first-time Olympians, this team came together to accomplish something greater than themselves. I couldn’t be more proud,” said John Wroblewski.

The game was tight. The entirety of the first period saw zero goals. However, in the first minute of the second period, the game became alive with Kristin O’Neill’s opener for Canada. And after that, the puck went back and forth but never into anyone’s net.

In the third period, Team USA scored with just under three minutes remaining, as veteran captain Hilary Knight got the equalizer for her squad. However, it was Megan Keller who secured that gold medal for the United States when she put the puck inside Canada’s net in overtime.

The White House hasn’t issued an official statement yet on the women’s hockey team’s decision. Still, bringing home the gold remains a proud moment for the country, and the players will be eager to carry that momentum into their seasons. What’s your take? Share your thoughts in the comments below.