Panthers celebrate 'a tremendous championship' with White House visit

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Feb 3, 2025

Published in Hockey

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The Florida Panthers started their upcoming two-game road trip with a visit to the White House to celebrate the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup championship.

“A tremendous championship,” President Donald Trump said Monday with Panthers owner Vincent Viola and captain Aleksander Barkov flanking him in the East Room.

The Panthers, who are in D.C. to play the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, won their first Cup in the franchise’s 30th season, with their run capped by beating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games after nearly blowing a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

When the Panthers won the first three games of the series against Edmonton, Trump said he thought “it was over” as so many others did.

“In fact,” Trump said, “I didn’t watch the next two games because I said ‘This is not going to be too exciting.”

And then the Oilers won Game 4, 8-1.

“Uh oh,” Trump said. “This is not good.”

And then the OIlers won Game 5, 5-3.

“Then I really said ‘Uh oh,’” Trump said.

But then after the Oilers staved off elimination one more time with a 5-1 win in Game 6, Florida held on to avoid the collapse with a 2-1 win in Game 7 at Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena to claim their first Stanley Cup.

“Both teams showed tremendous willpower and athletic talent, unbelievable talent,” Trump said, “but in the end, the Panthers stood their ground and did what you have to do as a champion. You can’t be a champion unless you go through something like that. ... It’s an incredible achievement.”

Trump shook hands with various members of the Panthers as he rattled off the team’s accomplishments. He noted that he wanted to be coach Paul Maurice’s agent and that “nobody knows hockey like Paul.” He spoke of the “unbelievable” job goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky did in net throughout the playoffs and congratulated Barkov for winning the Selke Trophy, given to the NHL’s top two-way forward. He talked of Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart’s goals in the decisive Game 7.

“This team and this group of guys is super special,” said star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, who will represent the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off later this month. “Everybody sees what we do on the ice, but I’ve built bonds with these guys that I’ll have for the rest of my life. I’m forever grateful for these guys. We’re forever champs.”

The Panthers presented Trump with a golden stick and a framed jersey with both the Nos. 45 and 47. They were the first team from the 2023-24 athletic calendar that won a championship to visit the White House.

Among the attendees at the event beyond the Panthers’ contingent were NHL commissioner Gary Bettman; U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody; and U.S. Representatives Byron Donalds, Gus Bilirakis, Mike Haridopolos, Anna Paulina Luna, Jared Moskowitz and Maria Elvira Salazar.

After the ceremony, Trump escorted the team into the Oval Office for more pictures.

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