Olympics-US women’s ice hockey team get Las Vegas invite from rapper Flavor Flav

Feb 24 (Reuters) – The U.S. women’s ice hockey team who won gold at the Milano Cortina Olympics may have passed on an invite to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address but they have been offered an alternative celebration thanks to Hall of Fame rapper Flavor Flav.

Flav, a founding member of the pioneering hip hop group Public Enemy, wrote on social media that if the women’s team “wants a real celebration and invite” he would host them in Las Vegas for dinners and shows. He shared a formal email invitation he said was sent to the team.

After the U.S. men’s ice hockey team won gold on Sunday, they took a call from Trump while celebrating in their locker room with FBI Director Kash Patel and during that call the president invited them to Tuesday’s State of the Union while adding: “I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that”, adding “I do believe I probably would be impeached” if he did not extend the invite to them.

A reference to Trump’s remarks was made in the invitation shared by Flav, who served as the official hype man for the U.S. bobsleigh and skeleton teams at the Olympics and did the same for the women’s water polo team at the 2024 Paris Games.

“We saw the story about the men’s invite to the White House, and the not quite invite for the women’s team,” the email shared by Flav read. “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 66-year-old American, known for wearing a giant clock around his neck, and Chuck D were founding members in 1985 of New York-based rappers Public Enemy, known for making music with a strong political message. Their 1988 album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” is considered one of the genre’s most influential.

The group has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)