Olympic success energizes NHL’s Hockey Day on the Hill

WASHINGTON -- The NHL’s Hockey Day on the Hill on Tuesday had an added luster to it.

The Stanley Cup was there at the annual event, standing in its silver glory in a U.S. Senate room in the morning and in House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office in the afternoon for lawmakers, staffers and anyone else to see.

But there was an added glow from people who were still basking in the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams winning gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics and the U.S. sled hockey team winning gold at the 2026 Paralympics in Milano Cortina.

“After the huge year or the U.S. women’s and men’s Olympic hockey teams, and the Paralympic sled hockey team, the Capitol is buzzing with a new appreciation for the greatest game on Earth,” said Emmer, a Minnesota Republican who was a forward with the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 1980-84.

Like Emmer, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was all smiles as he hosted the Cup on the Senate side of the Capitol.

Scott said he was proud of the United States' showing in Milano Cortina and is still beaming from the Florida Panthers winning the Stanley Cup in June for the second consecutive season.

“I think it’s great that Florida keeps winning, it’s nice for the Panthers,” Scott said. “I tell everybody we’ve got the best teams in the country. We keep winning everything. We won the national championship in basketball with the (University of Florida) Gators won last year and the Panthers won twice.”

The good hockey vibes shifted from the halls of Congress to a nearby Capitol Hill restaurant in the afternoon, where players from the congressional hockey team and a squad of lobbyists gathered for a reception.

The lawmakers and lobbyists will go head-to-head in the annual Congressional Hockey Challenge charity game on March 26 at MedStar Capital Iceplex, the Washington Capitals practice facility.

They were surprised when Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk arrived at the restaurant smiling and wearing the gold medal he won with Team USA around his neck.

“You realize the significance when you come to a place like this,” said Tkachuk, whose Senators face the Capitals on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MNMT, SN, TVAS).  “I didn’t realize it until after the fact and after all the emotions come down how special it was, not just for the guys in that room but for the country.”

Tim Regan, captain of the lawmakers team and chief of legislative operations in the Office of the Clerk in the House, said Tkachuk’s visit was a great way to cap off the day.

“I think it means more this year because of the back-to-back-to-back gold medals within the past month,” he said. “It's pretty impressive. Obviously, all of us have been American hockey fans for our whole lives, and to just be able to keep promoting the game and what we're doing with the game, what we're able to provide to the game is great.”

Regan said he was especially impressed by the U.S. women at the Winter Olympics and by the growth in the number of girls and women playing hockey in the United States.

USA Hockey, the nation’s governing body, reached a milestone earlier this month when it registered its 100,000th female player.

“It's always been Canada and America leading the way in women's hockey, but now it's America in Canada,” Regan said. “Now they've been dominating on the world stage over the most recent games, the Rivalry Series and now the Winter Olympics.”

The NHL Foundation U.S. is also helping to get more girls and women involved in the sport. The foundation announced on March 6 that in partnership with Megan Keller, alternate captain of Team USA and captain of the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, it will make a $100,000 donation to two organizations of her choosing as part of its Empowerment Grant for Girls Hockey program.

Haley Skarupa, NHL U.S. Foundation ambassador and gold medal winner with Team USA at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, said the grant comes at a watershed moment for women’s hockey in the United States.

“I think, especially coming off of a win at the Olympics, just the momentum that girls and women's hockey has right now to be able to spark more involvement, participation … is really crucial at this time,” said Skarupa, who attended the Hockey Day on the Hill events. “I mean, especially the Olympics there every four years, you want to strike when the iron’s hot. And right now, a lot of girls are excited about the sport.”