Mom Of U.S. Hockey Hero Addresses Team's Viral Call With Donald Trump

Ellen Hughes, a former U.S. women's hockey player who now works for the team, is speaking out after two of her sons shared laughs over the president's joke.

Ellen Hughes is speaking out after her two sons on the U.S. men’s ice hockey team, golden goal-scoring hero Jack and his brother Quinn Hughes, were seen laughing in response to Donald Trump’s patronizing joke about having to invite the gold medal-winning women’s team to the nation’s capital.

Ellen Hughes, who played for the American women’s squad in the early ’90s before the sport hit the Olympic ice, was asked by NBC’s “Today” show how the president’s comments landed with her.

“Well, I think at the end of the day, it’s just about the country and the moment that these players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country,” said Hughes, who is now a player development consultant for the women’s team. “People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all both the men’s team and the women’s team care about.”

Hughes went on to remark on the “synergy” between the two squads, both of whom made the undefeated journey to Olympic gold before ultimately taking down their Canadian rivals in overtime by the same score, 2-1.

“The way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that’s what it’s all about,” she stressed.