U.S.A. Olympic Hockey backlash brings attention to societal treatment of female athletes.

If this is the first you’re hearing of FBI Director Kash Patel’s visit to the USA men’s hockey locker room, I strongly encourage you to read this post by Director of the UB Center for the Advancement of Sport, Nellie Drew. Professor Drew discusses the since-deleted Instagram video Dylan Larkin shared which showed the deeply disappointing behavior displayed by the men’s team during their locker room celebration… When they thought nobody was watching.

I started writing this piece on Monday February 13^th, and I’m finishing it February 27^th. In that time, my levels of shock, anger, and understanding all ebbed and flowed as more information arose. To sum up my feelings on this whole thing, I agree with Team U.S.A. Women’s Hockey Team Captain Hilary Knight that the men were put in a tough spot. Haven’t we all been in a situation where we smiled and nodded when someone in a position of power said something we didn’t agree with? But the men didn’t have to laugh like hyenas at the expense of their supposed friends (more on that later). There were drinks flowing, and they were definitely high off the win, so maybe I understand their heightened emotional state. Still, though, a timelier acknowledgement from the men would’ve gone a long way. Instead, they dug their heels in. Overall, this was an unfortunate situation, but I believe Kash Patel gave us an opportunity to discuss, politics aside, the reality of how women’s sports are viewed and treated.

Before the video even came out, Mr. Patel came under fire for this trip as critics claimed his detour from official business to attend the Olympic hockey game blurred the line between personal and professional travel.

The most controversial moment of Mr. Patel’s visit was a call he made to President Trump; a moment caught and shared on Instagram by one of the U.S.A. players. In the call, the President invited the men’s team to the upcoming State of the Union address. Mr. Trump followed it up by saying “we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that. I do believe I probably would be impeached” (if he doesn’t). That remark was followed by a chorus of howling laughter from the men, with a few encouraging shouts of “absolutely” and “two for two.”

Since then, the men’s team has faced considerable backlash, with many calling their reaction disrespectful and misogynistic. Naturally, the ensuing damage control in the days immediately after did little to assuage these grievances. Jack Hughes, who scored the men’s game-winning goal, was front and center in the video and was clearly seen bent over laughing at the president’s remark. Regarding their upcoming trip to D.C., Jack later commented that “everything is so political, we’re athletes.”

We live in an age where many athletes and fans alike desire to keep politics out of sports. But it’s hard to see people assert that line of thinking while also supporting a team getting flown by the U.S. military to watch the most divisive president in U.S. history address a joint session of congress to discuss political and polarizing topics such as immigration, tariffs, and crime.

As you probably know, either from your own experiences or at least from reading Professor Drew’s post, hockey is often seen as an old boys’ club. But it doesn’t have to be! Teams hosting games with themes such as LGBTQ+ pride, Black history, and Hockey is for Everyone show that the NHL has an interest in bringing in “non-traditional” fans to the sport. More recently, the TV show Heated Rivalry (based on the book series Game Changers by Rachel Reid) has skyrocketed interest in hockey from the LGBTQ+ community. There is a new spotlight on women’s hockey with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) well into its third year, with two brand new teams playing this season and another expansion on the horizon. Their exceptional talent and competitiveness especially shone on the world stage during the 2026 Olympics. As both leagues grow, we’ve seen NHL teams supporting their hometown PWHL teams on social media and vice-versa.

However, all of this fanfare means nothing if it’s all for show. I don’t doubt that Jack Hughes meant it when he said he immediately thought of Megan Keller’s gold medal game-winning overtime goal when he scored his own gold medal game-winning overtime goal, and I think Charlie McAvoy was being earnest when he said supporting the LGBTQ+ community is the least the Bruins could do. It’s easy to talk the talk, but allyship means nothing if they don’t also walk the walk.

The hardest part of being an ally is having uncomfortable conversations about the people you support when they’re not around. It’s easy to support and cheer on the U.S. Women’s Hockey team (they’re awesome to watch, how could you not!?). However, it’s not easy to tell the (notoriously sexist) President of the United States that he’s out of line for making a joke at the expense of the women’s team… But it’s easy not to burst out laughing at the joke, too.

It’s sad to see that despite the women of Team U.S.A. winning 67% of all U.S.A. medals and 61% of U.S.A. gold medals (while making up 49% of the team), and despite both the U.S.A. men’s and women’s hockey team winning gold, only one team got a personal invitation to the White House from the president.

Team U.S.A. Women’s Hockey starting goalie Aerin Frankel set the record for the most-ever shutouts in Olympic tournament play (three), became the first goalie ever to shut out Team Canada at the Olympics, stopped 97 out of 99 total shots against her (.979), and had a .39 goals-against average. However, it was Connor Hellebuyck, who didn’t shut out a single team, had a 1.18 goals-against average, and a .956 save percentage, who was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The executive branch has repeatedly claimed “protecting women’s sports” is a major priority, but it seems that’s only of interest to them when it supports their agenda.

Like Hillary Knight said, this has been a learning experience for those involved. The men’s and women’s teams alike have since assured us that the teams are good friends. We don’t know what, if anything, has been said behind closed doors. At the time of my writing this, I’ve seen Charlie McAvoy apologize and Jeremy Swayman say the team should’ve acted differently (I hope there are more, I just happen to see a lot of Bruins content!).

This is undoubtedly a really unfortunate situation. However, I believe the conversation it sparked can turn into momentum for change. Many of the men who laughed at the president’s joke have young daughters, and I hope they don’t have to see that video. I hope they’re able to grow up and participate in this beautiful sport in a world just like their dads, grandfathers, uncles, and brothers did. I hope they grow up in a time where people just see them as hockey players, not merely female hockey players.