Lauren Kyle McDavid, wife of Edmonton Oilers and Team Canada star Connor McDavid, shared a heartfelt message to her husband after his team fell short in the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“So incredibly proud of my husband and the entire team,” she wrote via her Instagram Story on Tuesday, February 24. “The sacrifice, the discipline, the heart and the way they carried themselves with humility, class and respect. Watching you wear the maple leaf and leave everything on the ice will always mean more than any scoreboard. Forever proud of you and never been more proud to be a Canadian.”
Team Canada ultimately lost to Team USA in 2-1 sudden-death, 3-on-3 overtime defeat during the Sunday, February 22, gold medal game. New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal for the Americans shortly after a high stick left him with a few less teeth. It was the United States’ first men’s ice hockey gold medal in 46 years, with the first time the two teams met in the gold medal round since the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
Connor, 29, spoke about the disappointment following the overtime loss in an interview with SportsNet, posted on Wednesday, February 25.
“Those moments are what you live for to play in a game like that,” he said. “To play at that level, at that pace, at that magnitude. That’s what it’s all about. As I said, it was fun to be a part of that game and it felt like we put ourselves in a really, really good spot and gave ourselves every chance to win that game and for whatever reason we didn’t.”
Lauren’s post and Connor’s interview come while Team USA men’s hockey is mired in controversy, stemming from their postgame celebration. While the players partied in the locker room, President Donald Trump called to congratulate the team and invite them to the White House and his State of the Union address. During the call, Trump, 79, made seemingly disparaging comments about the Team USA women’s hockey team, which also won the gold medal.
“We have medals for you guys,” Trump told the team. “I must tell you, we‘re going to have to bring the women’s team.”
He added that he “probably would be impeached” if he didn’t invite the women as well. The men’s players laughed in response.
Most of the men’s team ultimately attended the State of the Union on Tuesday night, though the women declined the invitation, citing scheduling difficulties.
“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,” a USA Hockey spokesperson said in a statement on Monday, February 23. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”
Trump claimed during the State of the Union that the women would visit the White House “soon.”
Players on the men’s team have tried to downplay the controversy and defend their White House trip, with Vincent Trocheck saying it is “sad that it’s getting politicized the way it is.”
“We’re all very proud to be Americans, and we were all so proud to go [to the 2026 Winter Olympics] and win a gold medal,” he told reporters. “We went over there with a job, and it was to win gold and do it for our country and for everybody back here, and we were able to do that.”
