Brady Tkachuk is back with his Ottawa Senators, and he stood his ground when faced with a question about the viral moment when Team USA laughed at a joke by President Donald Trump about the women’s ice hockey team during a phone call after both teams won gold medals in Milan.

As players like Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman admitted, players “should have reacted differently.”

Tkachuk responded to a reporter’s question about the moment Trump said he would “have” to invite the women’s team, which also defeated Canada in the Olympics, to Tuesday’s State of the Union or else he “probably would be impeached.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Tkachuk said when a reporter asked if he understood that the women’s team felt displeased with the men’s team’s reaction. “I have no other comments other than for the things we can control. We supported them. They supported us. Can’t control what other people say.”

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Tkachuk added it was “fun” being around the women’s team while in Milan.

“It was fun seeing them play, fun to see the excellence they brought every single game and how they’re, by far, the best team in that tournament,” he said. “It was just fun seeing them after picking their brains. They were picking our brains, and it was just fun being around them.”

Tkachuk was asked a follow-up question about why he would laugh at Trump’s joke. Again, he stood his ground.

“It was a whirlwind of a moment. You can’t really control what somebody says, and I guess it caught [us] off guard a little bit,” he said. “I mean, when you’re talking to the president 10 minutes after you just achieved your dream, it’s just the fact that you’re talking to him, 

“You can’t really believe where your life is at where you’re talking to the president of the United States after you just won a gold medal.”

Tkachuk was with his U.S. teammates at Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, and the chamber gave the team a standing ovation as players showcased their Olympic gold medals

The women’s team declined an invitation to Washington, D.C., citing “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.” Trump said at the State of the Union address that the women’s team will visit the White House “soon.”

Brady Tkachuk of the United States celebrates after winning the gold medal during the men’s gold medal match against Canada at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games Feb. 22, 2026, in Milan, Italy.  (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)

USA Hockey responded to Trump’s suggestion that the team would be going to the White House. 

“Players are back competing with their professional and collegiate teams and are in the midst of their season,” a USA Hockey spokesperson told Front Office Sports. “They’re honored and grateful to be invited, and any opportunity to visit the White House as a team will be based on their schedules once their seasons conclude.”

While there’s been a divide on social media about the moment, Ellen Hughes, the mother of Jack and Quinn Hughes, who played a role in Team USA’s fate in Milan as a player development staff member with the women’s team, did not seem bothered by Trump’s comments.

“These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country,” she told “Today.” “People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all both the men’s team and the women’s team care about.

Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators during warmups before a game against the Nashville Predators Oct. 13, 2025, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  (André Ringuette/NHLI)

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“If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that’s what it’s all about,” she added. 

“And the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity, and they care about the country.”

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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Related Article

It’s common in sports for a player to provide a gift to a teammate in exchange for the rights to a certain jersey number upon moving to a new team. But what happens if the number a player desires is owned by a mascot?

The same thing, apparently.

Artemi Panarin was traded to the Los Angeles Kings just before the Olympic break, with the veteran winger looking to adopt the jersey number 72 that he wore when he entered the league with the Chicago Blackhawks.

There was just one problem: The Kings’ mascot, Bailey, also already wears the number. The reason? “Because it’s always 72 degrees in Los Angeles.”

So a number trade ensued.

Panarin will wear No. 72, and Bailey received a Rolex.

Our 72s 🖤 pic.twitter.com/mdthCYTJmm

— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 25, 2026

The “trade” actually proved to be a win-win for Bailey. Because the mascot won’t ever be on the ice at the same time as Panarin, it’ll keep wearing No. 72 in the stands.

With the pain of a crushing Champions League exit still raw, Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel hopes Bayern Munich’s high-stakes visit on Saturday will provide the spark for his side to save their season.

After a 2-0 first-leg win the 2024 Champions League runners-up looked set for the last 16, but Dortmund unravelled midweek in Bergamo and crashed out of Europe with a calamitous 4-1 defeat.

Speaking to AFP and other media hours after returning from Italy on Thursday, Kobel said the Bayern clash may be the tonic a wounded Dortmund need.

“Obviously it’s a tough situation. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but you just have to keep going and focus on the next game,” said Kobel.

“For us as professionals, it’s really important we focus on what we can do. The training today, the training tomorrow and getting good energy in the team to play a nice game on Saturday.”

Like Bayern, Dortmund have lost just once in the Bundesliga this season, but they trail Vincent Kompany’s league leaders by eight points.

A Dortmund win wouldn’t suddenly make them title favourites, but it would move them closer as the season enters its final stretch – especially with Bayern still balancing European and German Cup commitments.

Some players may look to distract themselves to shut out the nerves, but the 28-year-old Kobel welcomes the butterflies in his stomach.

“I’m a big fan of feeling the nerves a little bit. It gets you going. It makes you sharper in my experience,” he said.

“A lot of people try and fight against it, push it away, but then you can get into problems.

“I think you can benefit a lot from it. I always feel confident when a little bit (of the feeling) comes. Because I know I’m going to be sharper.”

‘Failure part of the game’

Against Atalanta, Karim Adeyemi’s superb goal dragged Dortmund level in the tie with 15 minutes left, but a misplaced pass from Kobel deep into stoppage time spelled disaster.

That lapse led to Ramy Bensebaini conceding a last-gasp penalty as he caught Nikola Krstovic in the face with his studs while attempting to clear a cross.

Kobel immediately apologised to his teammates for his mistake and called on his side to put on a “great show at home against Bayern”.

In rude financial health, Dortmund are European regulars but Kobel admitted the club needs silverware.

“We have to win. If we win something again, then everything can change really quickly.”

Arriving a month after their last German Cup victory in 2021, Kobel has come agonisingly close to lifting a trophy with Dortmund.

The Switzerland international was on the pitch when Dortmund drew at home on the final day of the 2022-23 season with lowly Mainz, allowing Bayern to pip them to the Bundesliga title on goal difference.

A year later, Kobel watched on as Dortmund dominated the opening 70 minutes of the Champions League final, only to fall to two late goals from Real Madrid, who won the competition for a record-extending 15th time.

Regardless of what happens on Saturday, Dortmund under Niko Kovac are heading back in the right direction.

The eight-time German champions are just three points off their best ever points tally at this stage in a season.

As is often the case though, Bayern are also in top form. With just three draws and one defeat, Bayern have dropped fewer points than any other side in Europe’s top five leagues this term.

“If you watch Bayern this season, how they are doing and how they play, it’s an amazing team. They win every game by a lot of goals,” said Kobel.

“What we can do is focus on us, try to improve as a team, try to get better and compete with them.

“We try every day to achieve that goal. Failure is certainly part of the game, too.”