THE WHITE HOUSE - Five months after the Vegas Golden Knights lifted the Stanley Cup on home ice, the team closed the book on its 2023 championship in the East Room at the White House.
Golden Knights players and staff entered the East Room to an orchestral rendition of ‘Viva Las Vegas’ as they were applauded by members of Congress, White House staff and distinguished guests. Vice President Kamala Harris took her place next to the stage before Mark Stone and President Joe Biden made their grand entrance into the room.
And so began the final stop on the Stanley Cup Championship tour for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Behind the President stood 43 members of the organization whose contributions last spring led to the first Stanley Cup title for the Golden Knights. Among them was Reilly Smith who met up with his former teammates to be part of the visit to the White House.
As the President took the stage, the Golden Knights began to appreciate the triumphant close to five months of celebration.
“This was the last thing we got to do together as a championship team,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “It was awesome.”
During President Biden’s seven-minute speech, he spoke about how impressed he was with Stone’s experience in the 2022-23 season. Two back surgeries weren’t enough to keep Stone from beating the odds and returning for a triumphant playoff run. He called out Jack Eichel’s NHL-leading 26 points in the postseason and Marchessault’s accomplishment of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as an undrafted player. President Biden closed his speech by acknowledging the things the organization does in Southern Nevada to make the community a better place – a core part of being a Golden Knight.
Stone took the podium after Biden and spoke about the awe he and his teammates felt walking into the White House. As the VGK captain continued through his speech, he joked that it’s easier to play hockey in front of 20,000 people than it is to recite a speech for the President of the United States.
“That’s probably the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Stone said. “Especially speaking in Vegas - I’d had a few drinks so it was a bit easier to do that one. But with the President of the United States standing a couple of steps over was nerve-wracking but I think I did okay.”
Stone and President of Hockey Operations George McPhee presented President Biden with a Golden Knights jersey and a golden hockey stick engraved to commemorate the visit.
A handful of Golden Knights were making return visits to the home of the executive branch. Alex Pietrangelo and Ivan Barbashev visited President Donald Trump in 2019 after the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup. Chandler Stephenson also met with President Trump after the 2018 Stanley Cup win with the Washington Capitals. Michigan native Alec Martinez was part of both trips that the Los Angeles Kings made in 2010 and 2012 to have their championships honored by President Barack Obama.
“It’s fun to see some of the young guys do this for the first time,” Martinez said. “It’s a really cool experience and I appreciate them having us.”
Martinez is one of three American-born players on the Golden Knights along with Paul Cotter and Jack Eichel. The experience was something that Eichel said he could never have even dreamed about as a young kid with goals of playing professional hockey.
“To be on the property and to meet the President and Vice President is a huge honor for all of us,” Eichel said.
After taking in the remarks from Stone and President Biden, the team explored some of the East Wing together. Portraits of past Presidents and breathtaking American landscapes adorned the walls as the Vegas Golden Knights enjoyed the final moments of their visit to the White House.
With a 12-2-1 record through the first 15 games of their championship defense, the Golden Knights didn’t need any extra motivation in pursuit of a second consecutive Stanley Cup. As the team prepares to face the Washington Capitals on Tuesday in the first game of a five-game road trip, the group that captured the most coveted prize in all of sports banked another slew of silver memories as they celebrated as champions once more.
“We hope to be able to do it again, but you never know,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Maybe it’s once in a lifetime. It’s a really cool experience to be around such important and powerful people and just being in the building itself.”
