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Miracle on Ice team defends decision to appear at Trump rally

President Donald Trump speaks after bringing members of the 1980 U.S men's Olympic hockey team onstage during a campaign rally, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
President Donald Trump speaks after bringing members of the 1980 U.S men's Olympic hockey team onstage during a campaign rally, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The famous 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team, which defeated the Soviets on its way to a surprise gold medal at the Lake Placid Olympics, is under fire after appearing at a rally for President Donald Trump.

Many members of the team were in Las Vegas over the weekend to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their shocking upset of the Soviet Union and attended a campaign rally Trump was holding the night before the Nevada Democratic caucus. But they didn’t just attend — they appeared on stage, with every present team member wearing a red “Keep America Great” hat.

The team’s Twitter account posted a tweet with photos of the event.

The person responsible for that tweet may not have realized how it was going to play. Juxtaposing a famous quote about unity with photos of the players in hats supporting the most divisive president in recent memory didn’t go over well with many fans.

The blowback from the team’s appearance at the rally, and the subsequent tweet, was intense enough that the team’s Twitter account posted a follow-up tweet that attempted to defend its choice to appear at the rally.

Not surprisingly, that one didn’t go over well either.

The team dropped the puck at the Saturday game between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers. That time, they left their MAGA hats at home.

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