For U.S. women’s hockey star Hilary Knight, the defining moment of Team USA’s Olympic run wasn’t just the gold medal.
It was what came after.
Days removed from a historic double gold — with both the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams winning Olympic titles — a celebratory phone call from former President Donald Trump shifted the narrative.
During that call to the men’s locker room, Trump joked that the women’s team would also need to be invited to the State of the Union, adding that otherwise he “probably would be impeached,” a remark that drew laughter from players and quickly went viral.
What followed was backlash and a broader conversation about respect in women’s sports.
Now, weeks later, Knight is revealing what happened behind the scenes.
“There were a handful of conversations in the background,” Knight told Heavy Sports in an exclusive interview. “Once things go public, it becomes its own thing. It becomes a massive story — and rightly so.”
Behind the Scenes: What Happened After the Viral Moment
Knight, who previously called the remark a “distasteful joke,” said members of the men’s team did reach out privately after the controversy — conversations that didn’t play out publicly but carried weight inside the program.
“There’s a handful of conversations that happened in the background,” she said. “And once things become public, they take on a life of their own.”
The moment itself, she suggested, was less about one comment and more about what it revealed.
“It was a great learning opportunity,” Knight said. “There are some big truths in there — in how we talk about women and how women are represented in different conversations, specifically in sports culture.”
A Bigger Issue Than One Phone Call
The controversy struck a nerve in part because of the timing.
Team USA’s women had just delivered one of the defining performances of the Games — defeating Canada in overtime for gold, with Knight scoring the game-tying goal late in regulation.
More broadly, women’s athletes were among the driving forces behind Team USA’s overall medal success.
Yet the narrative quickly shifted.
“That’s the disappointing part,” Knight said. “You’re like, wait, this doesn’t align with what’s actually happening.”
Still, she stopped short of framing the moment as divisive, instead pointing to what came next as the more meaningful development.
“There have been some healthy conversations in the background since then,” Knight said. “And now it’s about turning the page and moving forward.”
Respect, Representation and What Comes Next
Knight has spent more than a decade at the center of women’s hockey, witnessing firsthand the sport’s growth — and the challenges that remain.
Moments like this, she said, highlight how far things have come and how far they still need to go.
“What we accomplished isn’t laughable,” she said. “And how we talk about women — not just in sport, but across industries — that matters.”
For Knight, the goal isn’t just correcting one narrative, but reshaping the broader conversation.
“To be able to have that dialogue and then move forward — that’s the important part,” she said.
The Journey Beyond the Spotlight
In many ways, that perspective aligns with Knight’s latest partnership with The Hershey Company, which centers on the idea that “happiness is the real gold.”
Rather than focusing solely on podium moments, the campaign highlights the unseen parts of an athlete’s journey — the daily choices, the support systems, the quiet work that rarely makes headlines.
For Knight, that message resonates even more in the aftermath of the controversy.
“People only see us every four years,” she said. “You get to this really high peak, and then you kind of disappear.”
It’s in those in-between moments — away from viral clips and public reaction — where growth happens.
“Every decision you make on a smaller level leads you to a gold, a silver or a bronze,” Knight said. “There are smaller victories along the way.”
A Historic Achievement Still Standing
Lost in the fallout, Knight emphasized, is what should remain the defining story: history.
The U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams, both Olympic champions at the same Games — a first for the country.
“That’s never been done before,” Knight said. “Those legacies are going to be cemented forever.”
She added that the bond between the two teams remains strong despite the controversy.
“There was a genuine level of support,” Knight said. “And that’s what I hope people remember.”
Turning the Page
If anything, Knight believes the moment can serve as a turning point.
Not just for her team, but for the sport.
“It’s about continuing to grow, continuing to learn, and continuing to push things forward,” she said.
Because for Knight, the conversation isn’t just about what happened.
It’s about what happens next.
“And ultimately,” she said, “making sure the next generation is stepping into something even better.”
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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