The victory lap for America’s Olympic hockey champions quietly shed politics from the celebration

NEW YORK (AP) — It took until noon on Saturday, less than 12 hours before showtime, for the script to arrive.

The opening monologue for “Saturday Night Live,” of all things, was about to become a turning point in a national celebration that had somehow gone sideways in the week after the U.S. won Olympic gold in men’s and women’s hockey. Instead of basking in the glory of twice beating rival Canada in overtime, players like Hilary Knight and Megan Keller on the women’s side and Jack and...