The full squad couldn’t make it.

Five players from the United States men’s ice hockey Olympic team didn’t make the trip to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.

Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal for Team USA in overtime against Team Canada in the men’s Olympic gold medal game on Sunday. Donald Trump congratulated them with a FaceTime call in the locker room. He also invited them to the State of the Union Address.

During the call, Trump made a joke about having to invite the U.S. women’s ice hockey team, which also won Olympic gold, to the White House. Some of the men’s players were also heard laughing at the joke, leading to widespread criticism.

While the women’s team declined Trump’s invitation, most of the men’s team traveled to Washington to meet with the president. The five players absent were Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, Brock Nelson, Jake Oettiner and Jackson LaCombe.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the absent players wanted to meet with Donald Trump but were unable to due to scheduling issues.

The official White House X/Twitter account shared this photo of the players who met with Trump in the Oval Office:

The NHL resumes action on Wednesday night.

Donald Trump & U.S. Men’s Team Continue To Face Growing Criticism

President Donald Trump points to the crowdDonald Trump (Andrew Craft-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
A simple search on X/Twitter, and you’ll see plenty of fans condemning the men’s team. Like it or not, that’s just the reality with a person as polarizing as Trump in office.

While many NFL, NBA and MLB players have been openly critical of Trump, the same cannot be said about the NHL. Former Winnipeg Jets star Blake Wheeler and ex-Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby are among the few notable NHL figures who have spoken out against Trump.

Tensions are awfully high in the United States right now. Ultimately, the men’s team decided that their visit with Trump was worth any negative PR they might face.