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Hip-hop icon Flavor Flav is planning to host a lavish celebration in Las Vegas for the United States women’s hockey team following their triumphant victory over Canada to clinch Olympic gold at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
This initiative seems to be a response to President Donald Trump’s recent invitation to the team for his State of the Union address, an invitation the team respectfully declined due to “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”
Flavor Flav, born William Jonathan Drayton Jr., took to social media, sharing a formal invitation extended to USA Hockey. The email conveyed his heartfelt congratulations and proposed a grand celebration in Las Vegas.
“I am reaching out on behalf of Flavor Flav. First, massive congratulations on the gold!!” the email read. “We saw the story about the men’s invite to the White House, and the not quite invite for the women’s team. Flav recently posted on social media an idea and invite for the women’s hockey team to Las Vegas for a real celebration. He always stands behind everything he says and does. If there is an interest for the team to come to Las Vegas and celebrate with Flav – we will figure it out on our end and make it a lovely experience.”
The “not quite invite” likely alludes to President Trump’s phone call with the men’s hockey team following their similar overtime victory over Canada, a call that emphasized the contrasting receptions given to the men’s and women’s teams after their respective Olympic successes.
Trump invited the men’s hockey team to the State of the Union address, where he added, “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.”
Trump also joked, “I do believe I probably would be impeached,” if he didn’t invite the women’s team as well as the men.
The women’s team declined the invitation one day after Trump’s call.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” USA Hockey told NBC News. “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 White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the women’s team turning down the invitation by Fox News Digital.
Flavor Flav’s original social media post said that he would “do some nice dinners and shows and good times” with the team, while hoping that “a hotel and airline” could help him out to celebrate their accomplishments. He also wanted to “invite my Bobsled + Skeleton team too,” which won a record six Olympic medals in bobsled.
Meanwhile, the men’s hockey team arrived in Florida on Monday hours after winning their gold medal. They flew to Miami International Airport where the festivities would immediately begin. They are expected to be at E11VEN MIAMI nightclub later Monday night.
“We’re gonna celebrate for a few days,” Jack Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Sunday in Milan, told reporters at the airport.
Now, this isn’t the first time Flavor Flav wanted to celebrate an American athlete, having helped Olympian discus thrower Veronica Fraley pay her rent as she struggled financially before representing the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I gotchu, DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW, and imma be rooting for ya tomorrow LETZ GO!” Flavor Flav posted on X under her post.
While Flavor Flav got the ball rolling on that for Fraley, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the husband of tennis great Serena Williams, also pitched in to help, posting a receipt for over $7,000 sent to Fraley. Flavor Flav claimed that, because 10 million people saw her tweet, her rent was “paid off for the year.”
As for the women’s hockey team, they head back home with some ready to get back into their pro careers, with the Professional Women’s Hockey League resuming its schedule on Thursday night.
The NHL will begin games on Wednesday night for the second half of the season.