NEW YORK (AP) — The script didn’t arrive until Saturday at noon, just 12 hours before cameras would roll.
Saturday Night Live’s opening segment was about to rescue a national celebration that had gone off track following Team USA’s Olympic hockey triumphs. Rather than enjoying the spotlight after defeating Canada twice in overtime for both men’s and women’s gold medals, athletes including Hilary Knight, Megan Keller, Jack Hughes, and Quinn Hughes found themselves answering questions about political controversies and gender issues.
Show producer Lorne Michaels informed the athletes that the program planned to address the situation with humor.
Former President Trump’s joke during a phone call with the men’s team — saying he’d face impeachment if he didn’t also invite the women to the White House — generated both laughter from some players and widespread criticism. The men’s team’s attendance at the State of the Union address, which the women’s team skipped citing scheduling conflicts, further pushed media coverage toward political territory.
The celebration struggled through the week until Saturday, when ‘Heated Rivalry’ actor Connor Storrie hosted SNL. During his opening remarks, he praised the hockey champions for appearing together, setting up Knight’s memorable response:
“It was going to be just us,” Knight said, “but we thought we’d invite the guys, too.”
The studio erupted in applause and laughter, with broad grins visible on stage, including Jack’s distinctive gap-toothed smile. Two days later, the Hughes brothers and Knight exchanged fist-bumps on The Tonight Show after Jimmy Fallon celebrated their Olympic victories.
This lighthearted approach helped redirect a national story that threatened to overshadow the historic moment when the United States captured both hockey gold medals for the first time.
Moving from tension to relief required extensive coordination, according to Associated Press interviews with dozens of individuals across various agencies, leagues, and networks working to refocus attention on the teams’ Milan achievements.
On February 19, hours after Keller’s overtime winner against Canada, Professional Women’s Hockey League representatives contacted NBC, the primary U.S. Olympic broadcaster, to explore victory celebration opportunities. USA Hockey, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and Wasserman agency, which represents Knight, quickly joined the effort.
The following evening, as the U.S. and Canada prepared for the men’s final, NHL corporate communications VP Nirva Milord created a comprehensive schedule for every player from both teams covering the next two weeks. While competition continued in Italy, Milord strategized rapid deployment after Sunday’s championship game, with NHL action resuming Wednesday in North America.
“We had to know when they were going to be off because obviously they’re not going miss a game,” NHL content and events president Steve Mayer explained.
Jack Hughes scored his overtime winner just before 11 a.m. Eastern on Sunday. Pat Brisson, representing all three Hughes brothers through Creative Arts Agency, was immediately overwhelmed with appearance requests.
“When Jack scored the goal, we got so many calls,” Brisson recalled, estimating between 50 and 75 requests.
Saturday Night Live’s invitation for the goal-scorer was among them. Jack and Quinn Hughes made an ideal pairing, as did Knight and Keller’s combination.
“Nirva had the relationship at ‘Saturday Night Live’ and immediately put it into action because we knew right off the bat, ‘Hey, let’s take this and run with it,’” Mayer said. “These are moments that when you have those opportunities, you seize on them.”
Before departing Italy, both teams shared time in the athletes’ village dining area after the closing ceremony, gold medals draped around their necks.
“We’re telling stories, have a few drinks and just countless laughs,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “It’s been unbelievable, celebrating with them — them winning first was a great motivator for us — and just becoming close with a lot of the girls on the team.”
The original strategy called for everyone to fly from Milan to New York, the ideal location for mainstream media coverage of a sport that typically receives less attention than the NFL and NBA in America.
Weather intervened when a blizzard threatened the East Coast. The women’s team was rerouted to Atlanta while charter flights carrying NHL players were redirected to Miami. By this time, Trump’s remarks had become a major talking point alongside his State of the Union invitation.
Most of the men’s team chose to attend the White House visit and Tuesday’s speech, complicating post-Olympics scheduling. The women had already planned to return home and weren’t participating. Suddenly, coordination became far more complex than anticipated.
Following Trump’s address, players returned to their teams for regular season games while maintaining media commitments.
Both Keller and Jack Hughes appeared on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show through their agencies’ arrangements. Knight was featured on CBS Mornings and Ilona Maher’s House of Maher podcast.
NBC readily agreed to the SNL and Tonight Show appearances. The challenge was making the logistics work.
Quinn Hughes had flexibility after the Minnesota Wild’s Friday night game in Utah. Knight, dealing with a torn knee ligament from the Olympics, still wanted to attend her PWHL Seattle Torrent team’s Friday return game, so she took a red-eye flight to New York.
Jack Hughes played Saturday afternoon in St. Louis with the New Jersey Devils, then was rushed from the arena to owner David Blitzer’s private aircraft for a flight to Teterboro Airport. A helicopter transported him into the city, followed by ground transportation to Rockefeller Center.
Keller was competing with the Boston Fleet in Ottawa but managed to arrive on time with fortunate travel connections.
The television appearances successfully salvaged hockey’s global moment. Knight and Keller changed from “USA” gear to PWHL jerseys for the show’s conclusion, the Hughes family spent time with Michaels, and much of the controversy dissipated.
“The best couple weeks of my life,” Jack said. “To be on that and share it with the women’s team, the men’s team was just a pretty cool moment.”
