The Pittsburgh Penguins made their polarizing trip with the Stanley Cup to the White House on Tuesday, drawing plenty of criticism on Twitter.
You can watch video of that visit, and Donald’s Trump’s jokes (including a bit on NAFTA), in the clip above. (There’s also this raw footage, which you can skip at least halfway through as a big chunk boils down to “coming soon” type messages.)
Apparently Trump made a reference to Phil Kessel’s talented sister Amanda at one point:
Trump to Kessel: I hear his sister Amanda may be the best hockey player in the family. I doubt it. But she's very good.
— Jonathan Bombulie (@BombulieTrib) October 10, 2017
The Washington Capitals and New York Rangers were referenced, too.
President Trump weighs in on the Penguins-Caps rivalry: "Are [the Caps] tough?" https://t.co/8G3ya5XhYV pic.twitter.com/avbbv5hPWX
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) October 10, 2017
People pay attention to how people shake hands with Trump, and this situation was no different:
Some of the players at the Pittsburgh Penguins appear to be avoiding coming up to the podium. Trump is instead going to them to shake hands
— Alexander Quon (@AlexanderQuon) October 10, 2017
As of this writing, the Penguins haven’t tweeted about the visit from their official account. It doesn’t sound like the Penguins presented Trump with his last name and 45 on it, either.
The Athletic’s Josh Yohe notes that Penguins players opted against speaking with the media after the ceremony. Instead, head coach Mike Sullivan reiterated that the visit is “not political.”
Sullivan: "We’ve stated clearly from the get go that our visit [here] is not politcal. Nobody’s choosing a side. Nobody’s taking a stand."
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) October 10, 2017
Sullivan also said he would have no issue with players kneeling during the anthem, addressing the other political issue that’s spilled into the sport.
Perhaps the Penguins will get a new nickname for Kris Letang out of this?
Trump calls Letang “the Tanger.” Boy I hope that sticks.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) October 10, 2017
Here’s a longer video of the speech:
More pucks and politics
J.T. Brown raises fist during anthem, then explains decision
Penguins make controversial decision to accept White House invitation.
Donald Trump tweets about their visit.