Posted on 09/24/2017 10:27:58 AM PDT by NKP_Vet
While the sports world focused Sunday on the NFL and its reaction to incendiary recent statements by President Trump, the Pittsburgh Penguins inserted themselves into the sporting worlds ongoing political discussion by issuing a statement that the team would visit the White House as part of their Stanley Cup celebration.
The Penguins, on the heels of their second consecutive Stanley Cup win this past June, still plan to visit President Trump, though a date has not yet been confirmed. The Penguins released the statement at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, right as a handful of professional athletes and owners continue to denounce recent comments and tweets Trump has issued regarding the NFL, national anthem protests and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Currys now-rescinded invitation to visit the White House with his team.
The Pittsburgh Penguins respect the institution of the Office of the President, and the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House, the Penguins statement reads. We attended White House ceremonies after previous championships touring the historic building and visiting briefly with Presidents George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama and have accepted an invitation to attend again this year.
Any agreement or disagreement with a presidents politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways. However, we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I went to a hockey game and a hockey game broke out! Not a political protest
Wouldn’t expect anything less from the NHL. Real men.........
Very proud of my Penguins. The Steelers can pound salt.
Watch the NHL..now THAT is a real sport!! They have more respect for OUR flag than douche bag NFL and NBA players. Saw a beautiful video last night, in Canada, the Oilers were playing(Not sure who they were playing) and during the Anthem the microphone stopped working so what did the fans do, they SANG THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, in Canada..even THEY respect our flag..NHL fans are awesome!
Hmmmm? Thinking I may become a hockey fan!
Rooney writes the paychecks. They are big Democrats who donate money to the party. They loved Obama.
How many Russians play for the Penguins....heh heh.
Thanks for not being a hockey puck.
Sincerely,
the ghost of Don Rickles.
Hockey being played at a hockey game? Amazing.:D
I say open up the game a little, make that little puck glow bright red, and you got yourself a great game to watch on the television.
There are more Canadians than Americans in the NHL. Canada gets a lot of well-deserved criticism from conservatives down here in the U.S., but I can tell you from experience that they are among the most respectful people in the world when it comes to dealing with foreign countries and their traditions.
Love hockey. MY my beloved Habs win The Cup
It’s the most exciting spectator sport ever. Soccer? It’s landscaping w defense.
Huh - for a second I wondered if the Penguins were still owned by the DeBartolos, the same family that owns the 49ers. But I see Edward DeBartolo Sr. sold the team quite a while ago, and the Penguins are now owned by former Penguins great Mario Lemieux.
Seriously! They had to include that comment? Good grief.
I am glad they are attending, but there simply is NO DEFENSE WHATSOEVER for what these players, teams, owners, and the NFL management are doing.
make that little puck glow bright red
Didn't Fox try something with having the puck highlighted on TV? I remember special pucks with infrared transmitters along the edge so they could track it.
I agree with all of the sentiment and I love hockey. I will also say that if the league had just one a-hole who disrespected either flags and anthems,it would be scandalous.
Given the fact that likely half or more of every NHL team is not American I am not terribly surprised.
You hear the least amount of politics from hockey players than any other professional league.
1. Only 20% of NHL roster spots, more or less, are made up of Americans.
2. About 50% of NHL roster spots are Canadian.
3 There are only about 30 black players in the NHL or AHL affiliates. Of those there are Canadians, Americans and dual citizens.
You couple all of those things and you can see that NHL teams don’t have the potential national and racial makeup to make a White House visit political.
Hell in 98 when the Czechs won the gold medal at the Olympics half the team were Penguins (Or so it seemed.) Hockey is the least American sport as far as roster spots go.
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