Obama honours Stanley Cup winners at White House
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama honoured the Pittsburgh Penguins at the White House on Thursday for completing what he described as one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the history of the National Hockey League as they won their fourth Stanley Cup.
Obama noted that he has now been able to celebrate with eight Stanley Cup winners during his presidency with all of the teams based in the United States. He smiled when noting he recently reminded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of that achievement.
“This is a nice bookend for my presidency,” said Obama, a sports fan who has shown no slowing down in his efforts to honour the nation’s sports champions as his second term draws to a close.
The Penguins, led by Sidney Crosby, overcame a tough start to the season with Obama noting that they were closer to last place than first in late December. The team hired a new coach, Mike Sullivan, when the team looked out of playoff contention. Obama credited the Penguins’ persistence and teamwork as critical factors in completing the turnaround.