Wild gold medalists express support for women's team

Boldy, Faber and Hughes rejoined the Minnesota squad ready to go for their back-to-back road games

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Three Minnesota Wild players - Matt Boldy, Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes - recently won gold medals with Team USA at the Olympics. After a whirlwind few days that included meeting the President and attending the State of the Union address, the players have rejoined their NHL team and are preparing for upcoming games. Despite some controversy around the men's team's interactions with the women's team, the players say there is strong mutual support between the two squads.

Why it matters

The Olympic gold medals for the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams sparked national pride, but also some controversy around the interactions between the two teams. This story provides insight into the players' perspectives on the support and camaraderie between the men's and women's teams, which is an important part of the overall Olympic story.

The details

After winning the gold medal game against Canada, the three Wild players were quickly swept up in a flurry of events - flying to Miami, meeting the President, and attending the State of the Union address. Despite the whirlwind, the players say they didn't want the experience to end and were sad to leave their teammates. While there was some controversy around comments made by the President, the players say the two teams have strong mutual support and celebrated each other's victories.

  • On Sunday, the U.S. men's team beat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win the gold medal.
  • After the medal ceremony, the team flew from Milan to Miami, where they were picked up by an Air Force plane and taken to Maryland, then traveled to Washington D.C. to meet the President and attend the State of the Union address.
  • The Wild players rejoined their NHL team in time to travel to Denver for a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

The players

Matt Boldy

A Minnesota Wild player who won a gold medal with Team USA.

Brock Faber

A Minnesota Wild player who won a gold medal with Team USA.

Quinn Hughes

A Minnesota Wild player who won a gold medal with Team USA. His mother Ellen was on staff with the U.S. women's team.

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What they’re saying

“There's things that obviously were, um, were bad. Unfortunate. Things that you want back. Things in the moment. But at the end of the day, I just wish people could really understand, like, the real love and support we do have for each other and how special it is for both sides.”

— Brock Faber (dglobe.com)

“I think they know that they had our support. We spent a ton of time with them, honestly. We celebrated with them after we won. So, yeah, I mean, I know they were extremely happy for us when we won, and we were really happy for them.”

— Quinn Hughes (dglobe.com)

What’s next

The Wild players will continue preparing for their upcoming back-to-back road games against the Colorado Avalanche and Utah Jazz as they look to pick up where they left off before the Olympic break.

The takeaway

Despite some controversy around interactions between the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams, the players express strong mutual support and camaraderie between the two squads, highlighting the special bond they share as Olympic champions representing their country.