Hilary Knight wants the lasting image of her Olympic career to be defined by gold medals, not a joke she believes distracted from the achievements of women at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Speaking on Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the U.S. women’s hockey captain said a widely circulated remark by Donald Trump was “distasteful” and shifted attention away from what she called the extraordinary accomplishments of female athletes at the Games.
“I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke,” Knight said. “And unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats.”
Trump Remark Draws Attention After Men’s Celebration
The remark came during a locker room celebration with the U.S. men’s hockey team in Milan, when Trump invited the players to attend his upcoming State of the Union address in Washington.
During his comments, Trump added that the women’s team would also need to be invited, laughing as he said that if he did not extend the invitation, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
The comment quickly circulated on social media and in news coverage, prompting responses from players and fans — including Knight, whose team had just delivered one of the signature moments of the Milan Games.
Hilary Knight’s Final Olympic Game Ends in Gold
Knight’s response came just days after she played the final Olympic game of her career in dramatic fashion.
Trailing Canada 1–0 late in the third period of the women’s hockey gold-medal game, Knight deflected a shot from defenseman Laila Edwards to tie the game with just over two minutes remaining.
In overtime, Megan Keller scored the winning goal to lift the United States to a 2–1 victory, securing Olympic gold.
At 36, Knight closed her fifth and final Olympics with her second gold medal, becoming the most decorated player in U.S. women’s hockey history.
She finishes her Olympic career as the all-time American leader — men or women — in Olympic goals (15) and points (33).
‘Let’s Celebrate the Women in Our Room’
Knight said she is trying to move past the controversy and redirect the spotlight back to the women who delivered on the ice.
“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts,” she said. “And continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history, as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time — and really not detract from that with a distasteful joke.”
The U.S. women’s team has now won gold three times since women’s hockey was added to the Olympic program in 1998, further cementing its place as one of the most successful programs in American Olympic history.
Team Declines White House Invitation
While members of the men’s team attended the State of the Union address, the women’s team declined the invitation, citing logistical challenges following the Games.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” the team said in a statement released earlier this week. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”
Knight said she hopes the discussion surrounding the remark ultimately leads to a broader reflection.
“This is a really good learning point,” she said, “to really focus on how we talk about women — not only in sport but in industry. Women aren’t less than, and their achievements shouldn’t be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are.”
A Legacy Knight Wants to Protect
As Knight prepares to step away from Olympic competition, she said her focus remains on celebrating what these Games represented — excellence, teamwork and progress.
“I’m really looking forward to celebrating all the great things that have come out of the Olympics,” she said, “feeling the love and support, getting back into our communities and sharing this journey with them.”
For Knight, the legacy she leaves behind is measured in goals, gold medals and the standard she set — not in jokes she believes missed the moment.
Hilary Knight Responds to ‘Distasteful’ Donald Trump Remark After Olympic Gold