Kelly Pannek Not Surprised By Donald Trump’s Mockery, Cites Logistical Barrier As SOTU Invitation Decline

Kelly Pannek, 30, was a part of the 2018, 2026 gold medal-winning teams as well as a silver in Beijing four years ago.

Kelly Pannek Not Surprised By Donald Trump’s Mockery, Cites Logistical Barrier As SOTU Invitation Decline

Kelly Pannek, Donald Trump (Images via @kpannek on Instagram)

In Short
  • Kelly Pannek expressed resignation over Donald Trump's misogynistic joke, citing historical erasure of women's achievements.
  • She acknowledged logistical concerns as the reason for declining the president's invitation to the State of the Union.
  • Pannek emphasized the importance of focusing on the women's team's accomplishments despite the controversy.

The Minnesota Frost forward Kelly Pannek, who was part of the 2026 Winter Olympics gold medal-winning team, opened up about the controversial misogynistic joke made by Donald Trump. Pannek addressed the disparaging remarks as not surprising, expressing resignation about the historical erasure of women and their achievements.

In the controversial phone call to the men’s hockey team, the 79-year-old president of the United States framed inviting the women’s team as a compliance issue to avoid an impeachment. The remarks set right in with the boys will be boys, and the locker room tropes. In her address of the issue, Pannek acknowledged that these tropes have unfortunately long been the default settings of the industry.

With the phone call specifically, it’s not surprising, to be frank. So, I don’t know why we expect differently? But I think for us it’s also just about getting back to the focus on our team and what our team accomplished… dominant hockey.

She echoed the sentiments shared by the women’s hockey team captain, Hilary Knight. Knight, while stating that the joke was distasteful, admitted that this should not eclipse the achievements made by both the men and women in Milan.

Pannek also touched upon the support that the men’s team had shown them during the Olympics and stayed with them to celebrate.

I think that’s something we all know, being there, what it felt like to have their support throughout the tournament. To support them, and how great a moment it was for everyone that was a fan of both teams to come together and say how great it was.

She addressed that they had declined the invitation from the president due to logistical concerns, as initially stated. The forward, who was also part of the gold medal-winning team in PyeongChang, also mentioned that there will be an event where all medalists for Team USA are honored.

Minnesota Frost take on Montreal Victoire on Sunday

The Minnesota Frost, who won the Walter Cup in 2024 and 2025, are looking to continue their dominance in the PWHL as they return to the ice on Sunday. With the league expanding to eight teams this year, it will be harder for the Frost to take the throne once again.

The US women's hockey team included six players from the Minnesota Frost (Image via @usahockey on X)
The US women’s hockey team included six players from the Minnesota Frost (Image via @usahockey on X)

The Frost have not been lucky against the Victoire this season. In the two games that they have played, the Victoire have come out successful. In the first game in Laval, the Victoire and Frost played a hard battle that ended with Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin scoring the overtime goal to seal Montreal’s 3-2 win.

The game went into overtime when the Frost hosted the Victoire in January. It was once again Poulin who spoiled Minnesota’s day at their own ice. The Victoire had found the net in the second period and was cruising towards a shutout victory before Kelly Pannek capitalised on a wide-open net following a net front scramble, bringing the game to overtime. Three minutes into overtime, an Abby Roque assist saw Poulin sealing the victory for Montreal.

On Sunday, the Frost would love to put a stop to the two-game straight loss to them. They are currently sitting in second place ahead of the season starting today, with four of their players leading the chart in most points. Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Britta Curl-Salemme, and Taylor Heise all have sixteen points to their name. Pannek is a close fourth one point short.

The season starts after the Olympic break with the New York Sirens taking on Montreal on Thursday. The Victoire have just a two-day break before they play Minnesota on Sunday. In that time, Toronto Sceptres will play the Seattle Torrent on Friday, and league leaders Boston Fleet play Ottawa Charge on Saturday.

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