Jack Hughes Is 'Super Excited' About SOTU Invite

Jack Hughes sounds ready to trade the ice for the House chamber. The New Jersey Devils star and freshly crowned Olympic hero says he's "super excited" about President Trump's invitation for the US men's hockey team to attend Tuesday's State of the Union after their overtime win over Canada in Milan, Fox News reports.

• Speaking to reporters outside a Miami nightclub Monday, Hughes urged people to see the visit as about country, not politics. "We're athletes. We're so proud to represent the US," he said. "No matter what your views are, we're super excited to go to the White House and just be part of that."

• Hughes, who scored the gold medal–clinching goal, had already leaned into that theme after the game: "This is all about our country right now. I love the USA," he said. "I'm so proud to be American today." The invitation itself came via speakerphone in a jubilant locker room, with Trump offering to send a military plane to get the team to Washington and one player cutting him off with a quick response: "We're in."
• During the same call, Trump joked that he could face impeachment if he didn't invite the women's team, who also won gold in their game against Canada. They declined the invitation Monday, citing school and work commitments.
• The men's team was criticized for laughing at Trump's remarks, but Jack Hughes pushed back on Monday, ESPN reports. "People are so negative about things," he said. "I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them. The same way we feel about them, they feel about us."
• On Good Morning America, his brother and fellow Team USA member, Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes added, "There's a lot going on with social media right now surrounding our team and their team. But in the last couple of summers, we did a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well."
• "We're excited to go," Quinn Hughes said of the State of the Union invite. "It's not something you get to do every Tuesday. It's going to be special for us."