Canadian newspaper slams US men’s Olympic hockey team as 'monkeys'

WASHINGTON, DC: Americans celebrated Team USA’s gold medal win with pride and patriotism, but Canadians seemed less impressed.

Canada’s The Globe and Mail slammed the US men’s Olympic hockey team by calling them “monkeys.” Notably, the remark came after the team visited Washington, DC, for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

Team USA won their first men’s hockey gold medal since 1980, beating Canada 2-1 in a thrilling overtime match at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

Canadian newspaper titled its article ‘The State of the Union was a zoo – and Team USA the monkeys'

In a piece published Wednesday, February 25, titled “The State of the Union was a zoo – and Team USA the monkeys,” the paper claimed politicians treated the team like “ridiculous creatures” at the State of the Union address.

The article described, "It was only as they filed into the chamber inside Washington’s Capitol building on Tuesday night – surrounded by hooting politicians – that it seemed to occur to Team USA what they had gotten themselves into." 

“This was a zoo. They were the monkeys,” the paper wrote, according to The Post Millennial.

Canadian newspaper says Team USA served only as ‘props’

The newspaper further added that the team served only as “props” and singled out US players Connor Hellebuyck and Auston Matthews, who play for Canadian NHL teams, for criticism.

It said, "Matthews made things worse by showing up at the White House during the day, but skipping the State of the Union address at night."

The piece argued, "It shows that he got how it looked, and tried to finesse his way through it. Sadly for many NHLers, they don’t teach finessing in high school. If you watch the video carefully – around the time the players are being encouraged to pump their fists and chant ‘U-S-A’ – you can see recognition dawning on a few faces."

The article concluded that the whole setup was a bad idea. "That whatever this is, it is not aggrandizing. It was a terrible idea. The whole thing. They could’ve just gone to a night club for three days and had everyone’s phone confiscated at the door, but ooohhhh no, someone had to get ambitious.”

Team Canada’s hockey coach complains about America’s overtime win

The criticism of Team USA isn’t limited to Canadian newspapers.

Team Canada’s coach also complained about America’s overtime win, saying it “wasn’t really hockey” because he disagrees with the Olympic overtime rules.

Coach Jon Cooper spoke out on Monday, February 23, calling the Olympic overtime rules terrible. In the Olympics, overtime is played three-on-three to speed up the game. But Cooper believes this changes the game too much.

“You take four players off the ice, now hockey’s not hockey anymore,” he said after Canada’s loss. “There’s a reason overtime, and shootouts are in play — it’s all TV-driven to end games, so it’s not a long time. There’s a reason why (3-on-3) is not in the Stanley Cup final or playoffs.”