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The U.S. men’s hockey team arrived in Florida on Monday hours after winning the gold medal in a thrilling overtime win over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The players flew to Miami International Airport and will begin the festive festivities. The team is set to revel at E11EVEN MIAMI nightclub later in the night.
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Jack Hughes (86) of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning goal against Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)
American fans, some with signs, awaited their arrival at the terminal with bated breath – and when they did, cheers.
Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk showed off their gold medals for the cameras.
“We’re going to celebrate for a few days,” Hughes told reporters at the airport.
The team will go to an exclusive restaurant for dinner before continuing their celebration at one of Miami’s famous clubs.
Hughes gave the USA the gold on Sunday when he scored in overtime and got the puck past Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington. USA won 2-1.
Connor Hellebuyck of the United States celebrates after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026. (David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images)
“This is about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The USA is a hockey brotherhood. It’s so strong and we had so much support from former players. I’m so proud to be an American today,” Hughes told NBC after the game.
The team celebrated in the locker room, and FBI Director Kash Patel was the go-between for the team and President Donald Trump.
Trump invited the team to his State of the Union address, which is due to take place on Tuesday.
“I’ll tell you what. I just told my people two minutes ago, I didn’t know they were going to call, I said we’re giving the State of the Union address on Tuesday night,” Trump said. “I can send a military plane or something, but if you want, it’s the coolest night, it’s the biggest speech…”
One player cut Trump off and said, “We’re in.”
“We’re going to get Kash and we’re going to get the military to get you guys over,” Trump continued. “Don’t worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing or if it’s the worst blizzard—we’ll sail through like you did on the ice.”
Jack Eichel (9) of the United States greets fans after the match against Slovakia in a men’s ice hockey semifinal during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 20, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)
It is unclear whether the team will participate.
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Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., told Pakinomist they were still working on logistics for those attending the event.
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