Fact Check: Did US women’s hockey team decline Trump invite and pose with Canada PM Carney?
WASHINGTON, DC: A day after the Olympic medal-winning US women’s hockey team declined an invitation by President Donald Trump to attend his State of the Union address, an image began circulating online showing the team posing with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Let us analyse the authenticity of the image and fact-check it.
Claim: Image shows the US Women's Hockey Team posing with Mark Carney
The viral image shows Carney with the US and Canadian women’s hockey teams following their Olympic medal-winning performances, wearing their national team jerseys.
The image surfaced on Tuesday, February 24, a day after the US team declined an invitation to attend Trump's State of the Union address, citing scheduling conflicts.
The image that has garnered millions of views has spread on multiple social media platforms such as X, Instagram, and Threads, continuing to go viral, claiming to be authentic.
Fact Check: False, the image is AI-generated
However, the viral image is fabricated, and according to a spokesperson for Hockey Canada, no such meeting has taken place.
A spokesperson for Hockey Canada said in an email that the photo is fake and the people seen in the image are not players associated with either team.
Several inconsistencies indicate that the image was likely generated using artificial intelligence.
One of the women’s jerseys in the front row contains a typographical error where ‘Canada’ is written as ‘CAANADA,’ and a U. player is wearing jersey number 7, even though the team's Olympic roster does not feature any athlete with that squad number.
The jerseys in the viral image also do not match the 2026 official Olympic kits of the teams.
Additionally, comparisons show that individuals in the image do not resemble their real-life counterparts, including Carney and the player wearing jersey number 9, which belongs to forward Kirsten Simms.
US Women’s Hockey Team declines Donald Trump's invitation
The US women’s national hockey team declined an invitation from Trump to attend his upcoming State of the Union address, opting instead to honor previously scheduled commitments following their Olympic triumph.
A spokesperson for USA Hockey confirmed the decision, emphasizing the team’s appreciation for the recognition.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning US Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment,” the statement added.
