Fans flock to hotline to congratulate women’s hockey team after Trump controversy overshadows win

Hordes of fans are calling a new hotline to congratulate the U.S. women’s hockey team on their Olympic gold medal.

PR firm Jennifer Bett Communications partnered with Cosmopolitan to launch a fan hotline at 1-833-SHE-WON1 (1-833-743-9661) that allows anyone to congratulate the team on its 2-1 overtime win over Canada.

The initiative began as a desire to bring attention back to the women’s team after the men’s hockey team won gold three days later. During a congratulatory call to the men’s team, which also won 2-1 in overtime over Canada, he invited them to the State of the Union and then joked he would “probably be impeached” if he didn’t also invite the women’s team.

A video of the men’s team laughing at the remark went viral, pulling media focus away from the women’s victory.

“It was a cheap remark that undermined the women’s team’s major accomplishment and echoed the misogynistic ’locker room talk’ that Trump has long drawn criticism for. That’s why we here at Cosmo have decided to balance the scale,” Cosmopolitan magazine wrote.

Jennifer Meyer, founder of Jennifer Bett Communications, started the hotline to close the “recognition gap” in women’s sports coverage.

The response was enormous, with hundreds of messages pouring in, including from lawmakers, hockey coaches and activists, Cosmo said.

Hilary Knight, the star of the American team, had her chance to joke about Mr. Trump when she made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live.

Knight, along with teammate Megan Keller and men’s team brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes, made a surprise appearance during “Heated Rivalry” star Connor Storrie’s opening monologue.

With the Hughes brothers already on stage alongside Storrie, Knight and Keller joined them to a loud and lengthy ovation. The four players wore USA jerseys with their gold medals draped from their necks.

Knight opened by saying: “It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys, too,” a clear reference to the Trump controversy.

Knight on Wednesday referred to the Trump joke as being “distasteful and unfortunate.”

Many of the men, meanwhile, said they laughed while being caught up in the celebration. Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman acknowledged they “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s remarks.

The U.S. women, who beat Canada 2-1 in overtime three days earlier, politely declined Mr. Trump’s invitation due to travel plans. The players traveled commercially and returned to North America late Monday evening, well after the men, who traveled on a charter flight paid for by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association.

Jack Hughes told SNL host Mr. Storrie that the “gold medals aren’t just for us, they’re for all hockey fans, yours’ too.”

When the actor asked if he could try on one of the medals, all four players turned and said, “No.”

“Heated Rivalry” has quickly become a hit following its first season on HBO Max. Adapted from Rachel Reid’s novel published in 2019, it features a plot revolving around a gay hockey romance in which two players from opposing teams carry out a secret, long-term relationship.

This article is based in part on wire service reports.