Connect with us

Sports

Jack Hughes talks Trump State of the Union invite

Published

on

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

U.S. men’s hockey star Jack Hughes appeared to have no qualms about the potential of going to Washington for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

Trump invited the men’s hockey team to his speech on Sunday after Hughes scored in the overtime period of the gold medal game, defeating Canada 2-1.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Advertisement
Jack Hughes poses with the team

Jack Hughes (86) poses with teammates after the gold-medal game against at the Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

The players’ excitement appeared to miff critics of Trump. But while talking to reporters outside the E11EVEN nightclub in Miami on Monday night, the New Jersey Devils star said meeting the president is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

“Everything is so political. We’re athletes. We’re so proud to represent the U.S. and when you get the chance to go to the White House, meet the president, you know, we’re proud to be Americans, that’s so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House and just be part of that,” he said.

Jack Hughes with the fans

Jack Hughes, who scored the winning overtime goal, celebrates after defeating Canada at the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Hughes was dripping in patriotism right after he scored the goal on Canadian netminder Jordan Binnington.

“This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The U.S. are a hockey brotherhood. It’s so strong and we had so much support from ex-players. I’m so proud to be American today,” he said.

Advertisement

As the team celebrated in the locker room, FBI Director Kash Patel held his phone on speaker as Trump invited the team to his State of the Union address.

“I’ll tell you what. I just told my people two minutes ago, I didn’t know they’d be calling, I said we’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night,” Trump said. “I can send a military plane or something, but if you would like to, it’s the coolest night, it’s the biggest speech …”

One player cut off Trump and said, “We’re in.”

Jack Hughes holds the American flag

Jack Hughes celebrates with the U.S. flag after scoring the team’s second goal in overtime to win gold on Feb. 22, 2026. (Reuters/Alessandro Garofalo)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Advertisement

“We’ll get Kash, and we’ll get the military to get you guys over,” Trump continued. “You won’t have to worry about the weather or landing. We don’t care if it’s snowing or if it’s the worst blizzard – we’ll be sailing through like you did on the ice.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Related Article

US women's hockey team declines Trump's State of the Union invitation

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

African Presence at NBA All-Star

Published

on

Two players with direct ties to Africa represented the continent in the 75th NBA All-Star Game last Sunday – Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers, Cameroon) and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs, ties to Democratic Republic of the Congo) – which introduced a USA vs. World format.

USA Stars dominated the championship game with a 47–21 win over USA Stripes, led by a standout performance from Anthony Edwards, who was named the 2026 Kia All-Star MVP.  It was the most-watched NBA All-Star Game in the U.S. in 15 years.

The weekend tipped off with the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Castrol Rising Stars showcase on Friday night, where Team Vince clinched a narrow 25–24 victory over Team Melo in a competitive finale.

  • Adam Silver on Chris Paul’s RetirementAdam Silver on Chris Paul’s Retirement

Advertisement

Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat) won the AT&T Slam Dunk, Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) edged Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) to take the State Farm 3‑Point Contest, and Team Knicks triumphed in the Kia Shooting Stars competition on Saturday night.

As part of this year’s All-Star, seven top African prospects from or with direct ties to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Nigeria, and Senegal participated in the 10th annual Basketball Without Borders (BWB) All-Star Camp.

Obinna Ekezie Jr., son of former NBA player Obinna Ekezie (Nigeria), was awarded the Defensive MVP and formed part of the camp’s All-Star Team alongside Cheickh Niang (Italy; ties to Senegal) and Caleb Ourigou (Côte d’Ivoire).

Advertisement

10th BWB All-Star Camp in Los Angeles, 10th BWB All-Star Camp in Los Angeles,

Photo: Obinna Ekezie Jr. at 10th BWB All-Star Camp in Los Angeles, California

Pascal SiakamPascal Siakam

Photo: Pascal Siakam at 10th BWB All-Star Camp in Los Angeles, California

In the lead up to its sixth season which will tip off in South Africa on March 27, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) celebrated the continent’s culture and impact on the sidelines of the global showcase. The BAL Business Cocktail gathered more than 300 cultural taste makers, global entertainers, NBA legends and industry leaders, including representatives of BAL Foundational Partner Rwanda Development Board, highlighting the continent’s rising influence in sports, culture and creative industries, while emphasizing ongoing conversations around African investment, ownership, and the future of basketball.

Notable attendees included Rwanda Convention Bureau CEO Janet Kamerera, 2015 NBA champion Festus Ezeli, NBA legend Charles Smith, Somali-American basketball influencer Jamad Fiin and Kenyan singer and songwriter Bien.

Advertisement

Photos: 2015 NBA champion Festus Ezeli and BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall at the BAL Business Cocktail in Los Angeles, California (left) and Bien and Jamad at Intuit Dome (right) on Feb. 13, 2026

Among global icons attending this year’s All-Star were also South African rugby champion Siya Kolisi and Grammy Award winner Tyla.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

IIHF keeps Olympics 3-on-3 format despite Canada coach Jon Cooper’s complaints

Published

on

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Team Canada men’s hockey coach Jon Cooper may not like the Olympics’ three-on-three overtime format, but it doesn’t matter at all. 

It’s staying in place. 

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Luc Tardif told The Athletic that, despite Cooper’s complaints following his team’s gold-medal loss to Team USA on Sunday, they will continue using the format in future tournaments. 

Advertisement

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Jon Cooper speaks to media

Canada coach Jon Cooper answers to the media during a press conference following the Ice Hockey Men Final between United States and Canada on day sixteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

“It’s the best rules to fit in a tight schedule,” Tardif told the outlet. “We have to figure out 30 games in 11 days for men and for the women 28 games in 13 days – 58 all together in 16 days. 

“Huge challenge.”

The IIHF wanted to introduce the three-on-three format the NHL uses during its regular season to prevent the use of the shootout. However, the NHL does make the change to five-on-five hockey during the playoffs with no shootouts – only the game-winning goal. 

Advertisement

Cooper, though, couldn’t help himself when he ripped into the overtime format after watching Jack Hughes snipe the gold-medal goal past his goalie, Jordan Binnington. 

“You take four players off the ice, now hockey’s not hockey anymore,” Cooper said, per the New York Post. “There’s a reason overtime and shootouts are in play – it’s all TV-driven to end games, so it’s not a long time. There’s a reason why it’s not in the Stanley Cup Final or playoffs.”

Jon Cooper during timeout

Head coach Jon Cooper of Team Canada speaks to his players after the team’s 3-2 victory in the Men’s Semifinals Playoff match between Canada and Finland on day fourteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Overtime in the preliminary rounds of the Olympics lasted five minutes, with a five-round shootout transpiring if a game-winning goal wasn’t scored in that time. For the quarterfinals and semifinals, the overtime was boosted to 10 minutes, followed by 20 minutes in the gold-medal games. 

Canada didn’t get as clean a look at the net as Hughes did on his game-winning shot, but they did have tons of chances during the three periods. In the end, the U.S. was able to keep the game notched at one apiece through 60 minutes, with tremendous saves by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who was dubbed the “Secretary of Defense” by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for his performance. 

Advertisement

After the game, Cooper wasn’t the only Canadian showing some bitterness about the result. Assistant captain Nathan MacKinnon, who missed a wide-open net in the third period that could’ve been the game-winner for Team Canada, made an interesting comment to the press. 

“You be the judge of who was the better team today,” he said. 

Jon Cooper looks on ice

Head coach Jon Cooper of Team Canada takes part during training on day two of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 8, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

While Cooper, MacKinnon, and the rest of Team Canada think about the what-ifs, Team USA took Air Force One to visit President Donald Trump on Tuesday prior to his State of the Union Address. The team was spotted in the Oval Office, where Trump congratulated every player in person on their tremendous accomplishment.

Advertisement

The United States won its most golds in a single Winter Olympics (12), which included the women’s ice hockey team also beating Team Canada in overtime thanks to the heroics of Megan Keller.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Related Article

Team USA men's hockey players sing national anthem while partying at famous Miami nightclub

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

I feel kind of ignorant

Published

on

Lionel Messi discussed his regret of not having learnt English when he was in school in a recent interview. The legendary Argentine is known to communicate in Spanish, having spoken English only on rare occasions.

In an appearance on the Miro De Atras podcast, Lionel Messi shared that he regrets not having learnt English in school. He said (via All About Argentina):

“Not having learned English as a kid. I had the time to study at least English and I didn’t do it, and I regret it a lot. Later I found myself in situations where I was with incredible, amazing personalities, and I could have had a conversation with them but instead you feel kind of ignorant…”

Lionel Messi usually communicated in Spanish. He is also fluent in Catalan, having spent 17 years playing for Barcelona. However, he has been spotted speaking English a few times for advertisements. Some examples include a commercial for the movie Bad Boys starring Will Smith, a moment speaking to a referee during a recent MLS clash, and an eFootball commercial.

Advertisement

The current MLS year did not begin well for Lionel Messi, as Inter Miami suffered a 3-0 loss to Los Angeles FC in their opening MLS game on Sunday, February 2022. The Argentine led the Herons to their first MLS Cup last year and was also the winner of the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals to his name. He was also named the MLS MVP (Most Valuable Player) for the second consecutive time.

After a rough start, all eyes will be on Messi to replicate the previous year’s success with Inter Miami.


“We should never stop enjoying life”- Lionel Messi shares valuable advice for his fans

In his aforementioned interview on the MDA podcast, Lionel Messi discussed multiple facets of his life, including sharing his message for his fans and followers. The legend of the game believed one should always enjoy the present, and said (via All About Argentina):

“Today is a good day to enjoy. Sometimes it’s hard. Not all of us go through the same things, and there are people dealing with different and difficult situations too. But we should never stop enjoying life. Like I said before, today I enjoy much more what happens to me, what I do, my family, my children, the day-to-day life, the small things. And well, it’s always a good day to enjoy, because we don’t know what might happen tomorrow.”

Apart from the new MLS season, fans are also eagerly looking forward to Lionel Messi leading Argentina once again in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after his triumph in 2022. However, the Argentine has yet to confirm his decision to play or not. He is also expected to feature in the 2026 Finalissima, where Argentina will face Spain in Qatar on March 27.

Advertisement