The U.s. Hockey Team Took Gold. Its Bigger Feat? Transcending Politics

If men’s hoops is nan U.S.’s astir celebrated and professional-filled squad athletics astatine nan Summer Olympic Games, past men’s crystal lucky is its Winter Olympics analogue. Every 4 years, nan two-week Summer and Winter Olympics supply a respite, for NBA and NHL fans, from nan yearly home calendar. Stars who mightiness usually beryllium teammates alternatively prime up nan jerseys of rival nations, competing against 1 different for emotion of location and hearth connected nan world’s grandest sporting stage. Each Olympic athletics has had its iconic American triumphs too: Who tin hide nan 1992 hoops “Dream Team” successful Barcelona, aliases nan 1980 “Miracle connected Ice” successful Lake Placid?

But location is 1 awesome difference. The United States has dominated men’s hoops astatine nan Summer Games, only erstwhile failing to triumph golden since NBA players were first allowed to compete, successful 1992. But successful men’s crystal hockey, nan U.S. hadn’t won golden since nan 1980 occurrence — and not erstwhile since NHL players first competed, successful 1998. Basketball, for illustration shot (which will return arsenic an Olympic athletics successful Los Angeles successful 2028), is an American invention. Not truthful for hockey: The bruising tough-guy crippled is Canadian successful origin, and Canada is nan winningest squad successful Olympic history. This year’s Canadian lucky squad was touted by immoderate arsenic nan top squad ever assembled connected ice.

Yet, successful 1 of nan much bonzer fixtures successful caller sporting memory, nan United States upset mighty Canada successful Italy connected Sunday to seizure nan Olympic golden badge successful men’s crystal hockey. It was a wildly entertaining matter — a bitterly contested 2-1 overtime thriller, marked by aggravated passion from some sides and an all-time historical capacity from American netminder Connor Hellebuyck. It was a gritty upset triumph complete a foe wide considered much talented, made imaginable done determination and sheer unit of will. The viral photograph of golden-goal-scoring guardant Jack Hughes, smiling wide pinch 2 teeth missing and an American emblem draped astir his shoulder, instantly entered nan realm of American sporting lore.

Arguably moreover much awesome than nan triumph itself, though, was nan measurement nan American squad handled nan aftermath. And here, immoderate further discourse is necessary.

For much than a decade, nan sports constitution has progressively embraced nan left. The inclination was crystallized when, successful 2015, ESPN awarded Caitlyn Jenner nan Arthur Ashe Courage Award — not for being an Olympic golden medalist, but for publically transitioning to place arsenic a woman. Alternative sports media specified arsenic Dave Portnoy’s Barstool Sports and Clay Travis’ OutKick seized connected nan evident marketplace stock void, but overmuch of nan sports constitution still leans leftward. At nan Australian Open tennis tourney successful January, American stars deftly swatted away obnoxious questions from tendentious anti-Trump sports journalists. Earlier successful nan Milan Cortina Games, immoderate American athletes unluckily succumbed to akin journalistic activism; freestyle skier Chris Lillis, for example, said he was “heartbroken” astir nan governmental business astatine home.

The aureate American lucky men had nary liking successful playing this game.

FBI Director Kash Patel, a lifelong recreational lucky subordinate and instrumentality who was successful attendance, joined nan men’s squad successful nan locker room afterward to celebrate. Patel was capable to get President Trump connected speakerphone, and nan president congratulated nan squad for a hard-fought and well-earned victory. He invited nan squad to be Tuesday’s State of nan Union reside successful Washington. The players instantly accepted, and, successful a viral video of nan interaction, they seemed genuinely grateful for nan telephone call. But successful a slew of predictable consequent interviews, a number of journalists asked nan players whether they were concerned astatine each astir appearing alongside specified a divisive president. In each and each instance, nan players refused to return nan bait.

Golden boy Hughes encapsulated this sobriety successful Miami connected Monday: “Everything is truthful political. We’re athletes. We’re truthful proud to correspond nan U.S. When you get nan chance to spell to White House and meet nan president, we’re proud to beryllium Americans.” Jack’s relative Quinn Hughes, besides connected Team USA, moreover thanked nan military for nan triumph complete Canada: “It’s truthful special, and I want to convey our troops for allowing america to play this game.” Two-time Stanley Cup victor Matthew Tkachuk offered a akin sentiment erstwhile asked astir Trump’s locker room call: “It’s an grant proceeding from nan president of nan United States.… We’re decidedly honored to correspond him and nan hundreds of millions crossed nan state and to bring a golden badge back.”

How unbelievably refreshing it each is.

Sports, astatine its finest, tin enactment arsenic a taste communal denominator for our ever-fractious and divided polity. For a agelong time, it looked arsenic if that mightiness person been written disconnected arsenic nostalgia and everlastingly mislaid to history. But possibly not. As galore noted, nan instantly iconic photograph of Hughes looks and feels for illustration a throwback to a bygone era. The gold-medal-winning 2026 U.S. Olympic men’s crystal lucky squad will animate an full procreation of American lucky players, but if they tin thief america retrieve sports arsenic a uncommon taste totem that we share, and not yet different wedge driving america apart, they will make an moreover greater publication to nan wellness of nan state they very intelligibly love.

Josh Hammer’s latest book is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of nan Jewish Nation and nan Destiny of nan West.” This article was produced successful collaboration pinch Creators Syndicate. X: @josh_hammer