But she’s simply trying to put that “nasty joke” he made behind her and focus on celebrating the women’s team’s gold medal win at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
“I thought it was kind of a nasty joke and unfortunately that’s overshadowing a lot of the success, the all-female success in the Olympics, wearing for Team USA and accomplishing incredible feats with gold medals,” Knight said on ESPN on Wednesday.
“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continuing to celebrate three gold medals in the history of the program, as well as double gold for both men and women at the same time. And really not downplaying that with a nasty joke.”
Trump received significant criticism on Sunday after a video surfaced in which he congratulated the men’s hockey team for also winning gold at the Olympics. Near the end of the call, after inviting the men’s team to his State of the Union address, he laughed and told the players, “We’re going to have to bring in the women’s team, you know that. I probably think they’d charge me (if I didn’t).”
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That comment sparked laughter among the male players in the locker room. FBI Director Kash Patel was the one who called Trump after Team USA’s victory. Patel flew to Italy and celebrated with the team in the locker room, something that also received criticism.
Although they were eventually invited, the women’s team declined to attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday night, citing “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.” Trump has since claimed that they “will be coming soon,” but the women’s hockey team has not committed to a visit.
A large portion of the men’s team attended and met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday. the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“We’re so happy for them,” said Quinn Hughes, a member of the men’s hockey team. “(There’s) a lot going on on social media right now around our team and their team, but over the last two summers, we trained with them a lot and got to know a lot of those girls really well.”
Kight said that feeling was mutual, even if everything that has happened since the victory has dominated history.
“I think there’s a genuine level of support and respect,” he said. “I think that’s being overshadowed by a quick lapse. I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame that this story and narrative has blown up and overshadowed that connection and genuine interest in each other and lifting each other up.”
Knight wasn’t the only one on the women’s team who spoke out, either.
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Hayley Sacamurra was asked about it on “The Hockey Lifers” on Tuesday, and said simply that “the call was what it was.”
“Honestly, the outpouring of love and support we’ve received since then has surpassed any other feelings I have,” she said. “I’m really just focused on the positives… Honestly, I just want to focus on how great our team is and how dominant we were throughout the tournament. We got double gold, men’s and women’s, like that’s amazing. I want to celebrate that and I don’t want that to be overshadowed.”
Knight, 36, announced in May that he would retire after the Olympics. She won her second gold medal and is now the most decorated American female hockey player in history. She leads all American hockey players, male or female, with 15 Olympic goals and 33 career points. He also scored the tying goal to force overtime with Canada in the gold medal match.
The victory was Team USA’s third Olympic gold since women’s hockey was added to the Games in 1998.
“(This is) a really good learning point, really focusing on how we talk about women, not just in sports but in the industry,” Knight said. “Women are no less and their achievements should not be overshadowed by anything other than how great they are.”