You’d have to be a hermit to not know that the U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada 2 to 1 in overtime Sunday to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
 
Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal, told reporters, “This is all about our country right now. I love the USA…  I’m so proud to be American today.”
 
Members of Team USA celebrated in the locker room by singing Toby Keith’s hit song, “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.” Quinn Hughes, Jack’s brother, praised U.S. troops for keeping America free and making it possible for him to play hockey.
 
The U.S. hasn’t won a gold medal in hockey since the 1980 Winter Olympics. On the way to the gold, we defeated the Soviet Union 46 years ago to the day—February 22, 1980. There’s been a lot of celebration over Sunday’s victory, and there are a lot of things here worth thinking about.
 
Forty-six years ago, 53 Americans were being held hostage at the American embassy in Tehran by the radical Islamists who had taken over the country. Ronald Reagan made it clear that Iran must free the hostages before he took office, or else. They were released on the day of his inauguration in January 1981.
 
But over the past 46 years, those same radical Islamists have killed thousands of Americans and continue to threaten peace and stability in the Middle East. At the very moment of Sunday’s Olympic hockey game, President Trump had assembled a powerful armada off the coast of Iran. He’s telling the Iranian regime, “End your nuclear weapons program and your ballistic missile program, or else!”
 
Forty-six years ago, America was a nation in despair. People were looking for a reason to have hope and confidence again. When we won the gold medal in 1980, I turned to my wife, Carol, and said, “Ronald Reagan will be the next president.”
 
After years of Jimmy Carter, Americans were hungry for a sense of pride and patriotism. Again, if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend the Netflix documentary “Miracle: The Boys of ‘80.”
 
By the way, the last time the United States and Canadian men’s hockey teams played for the gold was 2010. Canada won that game 3 to 2.
 
There’s been a lot of anti-American sentiment brewing in Canada over the past year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to continue his country’s unfair trade relationship with the United States, dumping Canadian products into our country while imposing tariffs on our products going into Canada.
 
When President Trump refused to let that continue, Carney ran off to make trade deals with communist China. Really? Carney’s going to trust Chinese communists to follow the rules?
 
 
 
Faith & Family On The Ice
 
Two “members” of the U.S. men’s hockey team weren’t on the ice Sunday, but they were there in spirit. Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were both professional hockey players. Johnny was considered a “lock” to be on the men’s Olympic hockey team this year. But Johnny and Matthew were struck and killed by a drunk driver in August 2024.
 
Their family was devastated. The brothers were killed the day before their sister’s wedding. Both of their wives were pregnant.
 
The players on the men’s Olympic hockey team knew Johnny and Matthew well. The team hung Johnny’s jersey in their locker room during the Olympic Games. Coach Mike Sullivan referred to Johnny as “one of America’s very best” and “an inspiration to our players to this very day.”
 
Sullivan said, “The fact that our team is celebrating him throughout this tournament just speaks volumes to the character and the person that Johnny was.” After the game, the team brought Johnny’s jersey out onto the ice.
 
The whole Gaudreau family was in Italy for the final game. When the players posed for their team picture with their gold medals on, they also brought Johnny’s two sons onto the ice for the photo.
 
The patriotism and love of faith and family expressed by the men’s hockey team was the exact opposite of the carping and criticism we heard from a few U.S. Olympic athletes when the games began. That’s what Americans want to see. We want our Olympic athletes to be proud of America, and we want to be proud of them.
 
 
 
Celebrating Team USA
 
There were celebrations all over the country, particularly in the Northeast, where hockey is revered. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a moment of normalcy, allowed bars to open early and sell beer at 8:00 a.m. when the game was broadcast.
 
President Trump called the men’s hockey team in the locker room after the game. He congratulated them on the “unbelievable” win and said, “You’re going to be proud of that game for FIFTY YEARS!”
 
Then, the president said that one way or another he’s bringing the entire team to Washington, D.C., today so he can honor them during the State of the Union Address.
 
Of course, there can’t be a happy moment in America without some leftist being the “skunk at the picnic.” What set them off this time was FBI Director Kash Patel, a huge hockey fan, attending the gold medal game.
 
When pictures of Patel in the locker room cheering and drinking a beer hit social media, the Left went crazy. Some Democrats said, “Can you imagine the reaction if an FBI director under Joe Biden did this?”
 
Well, no, I can’t because I can’t actually imagine anyone under Biden being so excited about America winning something.
 
What is wrong with these leftists?
 
Are American government officials not allowed to celebrate when America wins? Are they not allowed to have a beer? When did the Left become prudes? These are the same people who want to teach your kids about sodomy and transgenderism and allow drag queens in public libraries!
 
And where was all this leftist outrage when cocaine was found in the Biden White House?!
 
I would love America to come together, but many neo-Marxist leftists just aren’t normal people. To them, normal is terrible, and abnormal is inspiring.
 
 
 
The Mexican Meltdown
 
The chaos taking place in Mexico is a good example of why we need secure borders and a strong border wall. Sunday, a specialized anti-drug unit in the Mexican government, trained by U.S. Navy SEALs, eliminated Mexico’s top cartel boss.
 
Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). El Mencho and the Jalisco cartel are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. They are working with the communist Chinese to bring drugs into America, killing our children every day.
 
You can see how things have changed. The Gulf of Mexico is now the Gulf of America. The border wall is being built again. President Trump is blowing up cartel drug boats.
 
The recalcitrant Marxist president of Mexico feels she must cooperate because who knows what Trump might do next? He has repeatedly suggested he might send U.S. military forces into Mexico to deal with the cartels.
 
Unfortunately, the cartels are just as powerful as the Mexican military. Following El Mencho’s death, the cartels retaliated all over the country. The U.S. embassy has ordered Americans to shelter in place.
 
The sad reality is that the prospect of Mexico becoming a failed narco-terrorist state isn’t just hypothetical. If the Mexican government loses control of its northern states, we could see another crushing tsunami of illegal aliens pouring across our southern border when our next president is a leftist.
 
 
 
Speaking Of Mob Bosses…
 
Former Obama aide Susan Rice just made a chilling threat. During a recent interview, Rice said:
 
“If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to play by the old rules and say, 'Oh, never mind. We’ll forgive you for all the people you fired, all the policies and principles you’ve violated, all the laws you’ve skirted,’ I think they’ve got another thing coming.”
 
Rice isn’t the only one making such treats. There are dozens of statements just like this from other Democrats. While they are claiming President Trump has weaponized federal law enforcement, they are promising to weaponize federal law enforcement—just like they did before—when they get back into power.
 
They have spoken openly about prosecuting federal immigration police. Democrat governors are creating databases to identify them for “future prosecutions.” They are threatening to prosecute members of the military.
 
Susan Rice is part of the Obama mafia that controls the Democrat Party. She is also on the board of Netflix, which is in the middle of a major battle to expand its media empire. President Trump is demanding that Netflix fire Rice.
 
Don’t miss the bigger point. I know many people are yearning for the country to come together and think that can’t happen until Trump is gone. But Democrats have no interest in “coming together.” They are telling us, “We’re going to get you.”
 
 
 
More Mamdani Madness
 
Zohran Mamdani is having a difficult time building the new New York City. During the last winter storm, 18 homeless New Yorkers died on the streets because the mayor didn’t want to deprive them of their liberty by bringing them to shelters. Snow removal took weeks. Trash piled up. People were furious.
 
Eager to get ahead of this snowstorm, Mayor Mamdani announced a new emergency plan to pay people $19.14 an hour to shovel snow. But to get the job, you have to provide two forms of ID and a copy of your Social Security card.
 
I guess Mamdani obviously doesn’t want illegal aliens to shovel snow, but he does want them to vote. Chuck Schumer said voter ID laws are like Jim Crow 2.0, and it’s racist to require any minority American to show a photo ID when they vote. But you better have two if you want to shovel snow in New York City!
 
 
 
Saving California
 
Carol and I were at a private conference in California over the weekend with many friends and conservative leaders. We heard from many outstanding speakers.
 
While I was in the state, I had an opportunity to meet with former Fox News host Steve Hilton, the leading GOP candidate for governor, as well as other people trying to build a viable conservative movement in the state. I am encouraged about the possibility of something good happening in the Golden State.
 
The odds are still difficult, but I would not write off Hilton’s campaign or the possibility of a surprising upset this November.