Team USA finished their Winter Olympics journey with gold medals and made the whole country proud. Fans celebrated back home, and the team quickly moved from competition mode to celebration mode. The players enjoyed every second of it.
They started the celebrations in Miami.
A video that went viral on Tuesday night showed Pat McAfee standing in front of the team at E11EVEN Miami nightclub. He thanked them for representing the United States and praised their efforts all throughout. And then he surprised the whole team.
“Thank you for representing the United States of America in such a great way, it was an honor to watch you win, enjoy the hell out of it, tonight all of your drinks are on me,” McAfee said.
McAfee teamed up with E11EVEN Miami to cover the team’s entire bill. The club said Team USA ran up a $150,000 bar tab. McAfee paid all of it.
Videos from inside showed players spraying champagne on the crowd. They played pro-America songs loudly. At one point, they stood together and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” They fully enjoyed the celebration.
The party went late into the night. Still, most of the team regrouped the next day. They boarded a US military plane and flew to Washington, D.C. They met with Donald Trump at the White House before attending his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Lawmakers and guests welcomed them with loud cheers. People inside the Capitol chanted “USA” and applauded for nearly five minutes.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The visit meant even more to goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Officials plan to give him the Presidential Medal of Freedom later for a crucial save that kept Team USA alive in the tournament.
The team finished a celebration tour they will always remember. Now they shift back to hockey. The NHL season starts again on Wednesday, and each player returns to his club.
But for one unforgettable night in Miami, they celebrated like true champions. And one ESPN host made sure they did not spend a single dollar.