The controversy surrounding the United States men’s hockey team’s visit to the White House started right after their historic gold medal victory over Canada in a thrilling overtime. Upon receiving the invitation from President Donald Trump, the men’s team was seen laughing at his joke directed at the women’s team, who also secured gold in Milan.

This scene sparked criticism online, but amid the turmoil, Team USA general manager Bill Guerin stepped forward with a perspective grounded in decades of experience. In an interview with The Athletic, the GM offered a defense of his players’ decision, framing the visit as a personal honor rather than any political endorsement.

“I’ve been to the White House five times, four with championship teams and one with a friend who worked in the Clinton administration. With both Democrat and Republican presidents. It doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “They’re the president. They’re the leader of our country in the free world, and the White House is a really special place.”

Guerin’s views have the weight of someone who has walked the halls of power under a variety of political flags, from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump. His reasoning was straightforward. Accepting an invitation to the White House, he suggested, is an honor in itself – regardless of who occupies the office.

“I’m just a kid from Wilbraham, Massachusetts. If I get an invitation to the White House, I go, I don’t care who is in office. Everyone gets to make their own decisions. If someone doesn’t want to go, that’s fine. I’m going. I don’t care who is in office,” said Guerin, offering a grounded perspective, owing to his own humble origins.

For the Team USA GM, the issue is that the athletes are being denied their moment in the spotlight. This squad brought home the gold medal after 46 years since the Miracle on Ice. It was a moment of celebration they had certainly earned.

While the team as a whole embraced the honor, the decision to attend wasn’t unanimous – five players, Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, Jackson LaCombe, Brock Nelson, and Jake Oettinger, skipped the White House visit due to their own reasons.

Echoing Guerin’s sentiment, another prominent U.S. Olympian also came to the team’s defense.

Defending Team USA from Speculation

The amount of attention that this turmoil has gotten has surpassed hockey. The sentiment was echoed outside of the hockey world. Two-time Olympic bronze medalist in Milan and decorated U.S. bobsledder Kaillie Humphries shared her perspective on this matter.

“I think it’s sad that you are going to diminish an accomplishment, a great accomplishment, knowing they haven’t won in 46 years. That’s insane,” she said, pointing out how Olympic glory for the Team USA men’s hockey squad got shrouded due to this controversy.

“So for that team to come together and do what they did, and I think for any athlete to get invited to the White House and to be proud to represent your country and be proud to represent a country that, you know, stands for freedom and bravery and honor and all those things, and to want to celebrate it to the maximum degree because you contributed to that, and to do so or to be hated on because of who the president is and whether, you know, they voted for him or not,” she added.

Not every athlete receives a personal invitation from the President of the United States, and for Humphries, that alone made it worth celebrating.

And Humphries offered a more personal take, stating, “You get to celebrate with the ultimate person that runs our government. I would have gone if I got invited.”

While controversy floated all over the internet, Team USA women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight shared her own perspective on the turmoil, stating, “There’s a genuine level of support there and respect. And I think that’s being overshadowed by sort of a quick lapse. And, you know, I think the guys were in a tough spot. So it’s a shame that sort of this storyline and narrative is kind of blown up and overshadowing that kind of connection, genuine interest in one another, and cheering one another on.”

Jack Hughes confirmed that the men’s and women’s teams celebrated together in the Olympic Village. And these celebrations went until 3:30 am before the men’s team headed for their bus.

The supportive comments from the women’s team, coupled with the joint celebration, suggest the online controversy may not have reflected the actual relationship between the two squads.