Hilary Knight, Megan Keller and brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes surprised the audience during host Connor Storrie’s opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, appearing together to loud applause while wearing USA jerseys and their Olympic gold medals.
The four, representing the U.S. women’s and men’s teams that won gold at the Milan-Cortina Games, joined Storrie to poke fun at a recent controversy. Knight opened by quipping, “It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys, too,” referencing President Trump’s congratulatory call to the men that included an invitation to the State of the Union and a remark that he’d have to invite the women as well — a comment many viewed as sexist.
Knight had called the president’s joke “distasteful and unfortunate” and said the narrative had overshadowed the teams’ genuine support for each other. Several men later acknowledged they “should have reacted differently” to the call; Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman and teammate Charlie McAvoy said they regretted how they responded.
The women had already beaten Canada 2-1 in overtime three days before the men’s 2-1 overtime win. Keller scored the women’s overtime goal and Knight tied that game in the final minutes; Jack Hughes scored the men’s overtime winner. The U.S. women declined the White House invitation citing travel plans; they returned commercially later than the men, who traveled on a charter flight paid for by the NHL and NHLPA.
Knight, who plays for the PWHL’s Seattle Torrent, flew to New York the day after being placed on long-term injured reserve. Keller, who plays for Boston, arrived after playing earlier that day in Boston’s 3-2 shootout win at Ottawa. Jack Hughes plays for the New Jersey Devils and Quinn Hughes for the Minnesota Wild.
On SNL, Knight also responded when Quinn noted the last U.S. men’s Olympic gold had been in 1980; she reminded the room that the women last won in 2018, prompting Jack to call it a “nice burn.” When Storrie asked to try on a medal, all four players replied, “No.”
“Heated Rivalry,” the HBO Max series starring Storrie and adapted from Rachel Reid’s 2019 novel, has become a hit by centering a gay hockey romance between two opposing players. Creator and director Jacob Tierney told CBS Mornings that a second season is being written and shooting is expected to begin in August.