Tage Thompson responds to MAGA hat criticism after Team USA gold: 'Proud to be an American'

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NEWARK, N.J. – It's been a long few days for Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson. He scored a critical goal for Team USA in the team's semifinal match against Slovakia, and then went on to help the U.S. ultimately defeat Canada on Sunday to capture the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

Thompson admitted after Wednesday's game against the New Jersey Devils, the first NHL game for Buffalo since the Olympic break, that he was tired, rusty and sluggish on the ice. But most fans wouldn't know it. Thompson scored Buffalo's first goal of the night and assisted on the second as the Sabres emerged with a 2-1 victory over the Devils. 

New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes, right, and Buffalo Sabres' Tage Thompson gesture to fans before an NHL hockey game in Newark, New Jersey, on Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Jack Hughes, a Devils star and the Team USA skater who scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Canada, was honored by the team during a pregame ceremony. Hughes pulled an incredibly classy move and brought Thompson out to center ice, so the crowd could cheer the pair together. 

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Still, as impressive as Thompson's return to the ice was, the story for much of the media following Team USA's historic gold medal win revolves around the team's trip to the White House and appearance during Tuesday's State of the Union address by President Trump. 

Thompson, in particular, found himself in the crosshairs of the radical left-wing media mob because he was photographed wearing Trump's famous "Make America Great Again" hat alongside press secretary Karoline Leavitt and several