The United States men’s national ice hockey team found itself facing an unexpected opponent after winning the gold medal against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. What should have been a celebratory journey to bring Olympic victory back to the United States instead became a logistical headache, underscoring how even elite athletes aren’t immune to nature’s chaotic forces.
After warding off their Olympic opponent, Team USA found themselves facing a powerful winter storm that grounded flights and left players, staff, and family members stranded overseas. Here’s the latest on what the U.S. men’s hockey team is facing as they try to return back from Milan.
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While the United States men’s ice hockey team was celebrating their gold medal win in Italy and facing travel delays due to the winter storm, the team faced another scandal in a viral video that surfaced of their phone call with President Trump after their Olympic victory. In the surfaced and highly circulated video of the call between the President of the United States and the U.S. men’s national hockey team, the two parties are heard laughing about how they don’t believe the gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s national team should be invited to The White House along with their roster of players to celebrate their success at the Winter Olympics with POTUS.
Some of the quotes from the phone call include President Trump addressing the U.S. men’s team and saying saying, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team. You do know that. I do believe I’d probably would be impeached [if the women’s team wasn’t invited].”
Just like Team USA’s men’s hockey team, the U.S. women’s hockey team faced off in Milan against Canada. Under the leadership of team captain Hilary Knight, the women won the gold medal in overtime with a final score of 2-1. Their success identically mirrors the Olympic victory of the men’s team, yet the women’s ice hockey players were insulted on the joint call between the men and POTUS.
GettyGold medallists USA’s players celebrate during the medals ceremony of the men’s ice hockey event at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 22, 2026.
GettyGold medallists USA’s players celebrate during the medals ceremony of the men’s ice hockey event at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, on February 22, 2026.
Though remaining in Italy for extra time may have appeared to merely extend the team’s gold medal celebration, the reality is that many of the players compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the delay the team is facing abroad has created immediate scheduling concerns.
GettyPlayers of Team United States celebrate a 2-1 victory against Canada in overtime for the gold medal during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
GettyPlayers of Team United States celebrate a 2-1 victory against Canada in overtime for the gold medal during the Men’s Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.
For fans back home in the United States, social media updates from members of the team have provided a mixture of humor and frustration that the players who put the USA back on top of the ice hockey world are unable to return home yet. On their individual social media accounts, some of the athletes and their families shared photos of airport runways completely covered in blankets of snow with captions that joked about playing ‘shinny’ – aka pickup games of ice hockey – out in the parking lot for some spontaneous practice while the team awaits the green light for their plane to take off.
The storm that has prevented the U.S. men’s ice hockey team from returning after their victory at the Winter Olympics in Italy has drawn attention to the broader challenge of hosting global sporting events – especially in harsh winter climates like the Italian alps and the French alps where the 2030 Winter Olympics will be held after the Olympic torch was passed from Italy to France during the Closing Ceremony of the Milan-Cortina games.
Ultimately, the travel delays faced by Olympic athletes trying to leave the Italian alps after the games concluded serve as a reminder the resilience we applaud the Olympians for having in competition is also applied outside of the Olympic arena when the television cameras turn off and global attention goes elsewhere. The U.S. men’s ice hockey team’s resilience on the ice may earn medals, but their patience and perspective – plus their humorous attitudes about a situation they can’t control – demonstrates a much deeper endurance. When flights resume and their skates hit American ice once again, these travel delays will become just another story in a tournament full of unforgettable moments.
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Amanda Vining Amanda Vining is a career journalist with over 20 years of experience covering news for digital publications. More about Amanda Vining
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