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Plenty of people rushed to the defense of Team USA’s women’s hockey team over a reaction the American men who took home gold had while speaking with Donald Trump after their victory at the Winter Olympics. However, the members of that squad don’t seem particularly offended by the laughs that generated plenty of controversy, and Abbey Murphy became the latest player to suggest the backlash was overblown.
The men’s and women’s teams representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics managed to earn a gold medal in similar fashion, as they both secured the top spot on the podium with a 2-1 win over Canada in overtime.
The NHL players who were responsible for the second victory have seen what should have been a glorious moment tarnished by what transpired in the locker room after Jack Hughes put things away.
After the game, the boys got to speak with Donald Trump. He invited them to the White House before he joked about being impeached if he didn’t extend the same offer to the women’s team, which was greeted by a fair amount of laughter.
You can hear the genuine pride in Donald Trumps voice when he called the Team USA Hockey Team pic.twitter.com/ch6GbXShwh
— Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) February 23, 2026
That response led to many people getting very riled up, as the men’s team was bombarded by accusations of misogyny from fans who accused them of implicitly endorsing what was widely viewed as Trump’s attempt to minimize the women’s gold medal triumph.
However, there were also plenty of fans who felt that criticism was overblown, and there’s at least one member of the women’s team who falls in that camp based on what she had to say about the situation.
Abbey Murphy doesn’t seem particularly offended by the controversy surrounding Team USA’s phone call with Donald Trump
The men’s team also had plenty of defenders who didn’t think it was fair to judge them too harshly for what people in that camp painted as a fairly impulsive response to the president’s remark in a moment where they were crushing beers while still riding the high of winning a gold medal in dramatic fashion.
Jeremy Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Brady Tkachuk, and Jake Sanderson were among the NHL players who took a similar approach while addressing the fallout, as the prevailing sentiment among the men’s players who’ve gotten the chance to speak out was that they got caught up in the heat of the moment and would have responded differently if they’d had more of an opportunity to process what was said.
That hasn’t stopped critics from asserting they showed their true colors, but we’ve also gotten the chance to hear the perspective of some people whose opinion on the matter carries some real weight: the women who repped the stars and stripes in Italy.
That includes captain Hilary Knight, who called Trump’s comment “distasteful” but referred to the laughter as a “quick lapse” while making it clear she didn’t have any issues with the guys.
Abbey Murphy echoed that sentiment during an appearance on Spittin’ Chiclets, where she issued a slightly stronger stance on the matter.
“You hear someone in the back of the phone call yell 2 for 2. We never felt anything bad from them…it’s sad they even have to apologize for anything.”@Abbey18Murphy spoke on the camaraderie between the Men’s and Women’s USA teams. pic.twitter.com/PKeMMtVm54
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 27, 2026
The star forward, who currently serves as the captain at the University of Minnesota, emphasized the support one player showed on that same phone call while addressing it, saying:
“You hear someone in the back of the phone call yell, ‘Two for two!’ We never felt anything bad from them. It’s sad that they even have to apologize for anything. It was huge for both teams and honestly a really cool moment.”
It seems like The Discourse surrounding the incident is finally dying down, and it’s probably safe to assume both teams are going to be best remembered for what they achieved on the ice in the long run.