American in name only
The U.S. men's Olympic hockey team reminds us what it means to be truly American.
I always thought I loved hockey.
But that belief was solidified on Sunday when the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 in sudden-death overtime.
At a time when I’ve been having trouble separating the people in power in this country (from those in the spotlight to those operating in the shadows — or, in Jeffrey Epstein’s shadow, that is) from the country itself, 25 men have reminded me what the USA is and means.
In watching the U.S. men’s hockey team defeat the undefeated favorite, Canada, and witnessing their patriotic revelry, I realized America is more than a single person or group, and more than the party or person in power — or operating in the shadows. It’s greater than our transgressions and more powerful than what divides us.
It’s an ethos unto itself.
And it’s something that even the most anti- or un-American among us can’t damage or destroy. Those who don’t get it don’t get it.
When asked about his thoughts on representing the U.S. in the 2026 Winter Olympics, freestyle skier Hunter Hess said he had “mixed emotions” given “everything that’s going on in the U.S.” In the days that followed, perhaps rattled by the media attention his remark garnered and Trump’s Trump-y response (he called him “a real loser”), Hess’ performance suffered.
His remark was one that, at best, demonstrated his lack of understanding of what America is — a nation not defined by a single president or his actions or one group’s reaction to those, but one built on values like liberty, self-reliance, determination and integrity. A nation that despite mistakes and setbacks continues to defy the odds, that keeps on keeping on even when everything seems stacked against her.
The contrast between Hess’ America — one built on angst and resentment — and the America of the U.S. men’s hockey team — one defined by grit and determination and collective optimism — couldn’t be more stark. And Sunday’s win couldn’t make that clearer.
In a sport where losing a few teeth and a pint of blood are all in a day’s work, where rivalries run as deep as comradery, the U.S. men’s hockey team showed what it means to prevail and to do so honorably. Forty-six years since its last Olympic gold, the team of 25 showed a nation of over 342 million what it means to be American.
Representing the best that the USA has to offer, 24-year-old Jack Hughes, bloodied and breathless, said to reporters following his game-winning goal, “That’s American hockey right there. We’re USA. We’re so proud to be Americans. Tonight was all for the country. We’re so proud to win for our country.”
There will always be those who are American in name only, who misrepresent what she is all about, who would use her to further their own interests and ideals. But we can take heart in knowing there are still people — at least 25 of young men — who still believe in and embody the true spirit of America. The idea that won’t die and can’t be killed.
But I’ll let you be the judge of who the better team was and is.
