The Lightning's day at the White House

Finally.
It's been a long time coming, but the Tampa Bay Lightning got their chance to visit the White House on Monday and celebrate their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with President Joe Biden.

It was a beautiful day in Washington, D.C., as the Bolts arrived and stepped off the bus just after noon to a temperature of 61 degrees and a bright, shining sun.
It's been a long time coming for Tampa Bay, who didn't get the chance to visit the White House after any of their three Stanley Cup victories.
That changed on Monday, with some former Bolts in Braydon Coburn, Mathieu Joseph, and Curtis McElhinney joining the group to celebrate.
"Just the whole day was extremely special," said Tampa Bay forward Ross Colton. "What a great group of guys to experience it with."
It was a well-deserved day for the Lightning and one that will be remembered forever. I was lucky enough to be a part of it and documented the visit in a running diary throughout the journey to the White House.
Here's how I spent my day with the back-to-back champs.

7:30 a.m. - Good morning. My day kicked off with an appearance on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620 to talk with Ronnie Lane and Tom Krasniqi about Sunday's big 8-4 win over the Florida Panthers.
The Lightning have made it easy and given me plenty to talk about after recording a franchise-record 22 goals over their last three games.
9:05 a.m. - Time to officially begin preparation for the day. I head down to the second floor of the hotel for a COVID-19 test to make sure everyone is safe to make the trip.
9:35 a.m. - Is it time to leave yet? As I eagerly waited for the day begin, I took a stroll through the streets of D.C. and grabbed a breakfast sandwich and coffee to fuel up for the celebration.
10:55 a.m. - Has anyone done this before? Pat Maroon ALMOST did it after winning his first Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues. I head down to one of the hotel ballrooms where the team is enjoying breakfast.
After Maroon finished up, he had a nice chat with some media members about his excitement for the day and some things his former teammates in St. Louis shared about their trip.
"I always thought it was really cool and when you get to the NHL, you always want to go to the White House," Maroon said. "It's an honor. You work so hard and you accomplish so many things and to top it off with going to the White House and just looking around and meeting the president, I'm really looking forward to it."
11:04 a.m. - I ran into Pro Football Hall of Fame and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor member, Derrick Brooks, who made the trip with the Lightning. Brooks, a legend in the Tampa Bay community, is the EVP of Corporate & Community Business Development for Vinik Sports Group.
It was a cool chat with Brooks, who was really excited to visit the White House after the Gulf War prevented his 2002 Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers from making the trip.
Brooks told me he's still catching heat from his former teammates for the Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl LV getting to take the visit to the White House.
11:40 a.m.- Here we go. The busses have arrived at the hotel and the journey to the White House is right around the corner. You can feel the excitement in the air with everyone radiating excitement.
How could you not be after three straight big wins and a trip to the White House on the docket?
11:49 a.m. - Ready, set, go!
And we're off. The busses pull away from the hotel and we head towards the historic Pennsylvania Avenue.
11:59 a.m. - Put it in park! The busses come to a halt right in front of the General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument on 15th Street.
The Bolts make their way off the bus, line up, and prepare to head inside with everyone looking sharp in their finest suits and some rather large bling shining on their fingers.
12:07 p.m.- "Let's go!"
The Lightning coaching staff, management, and players being walking and make their way through the gate on the corner of 15th Street and Alexander Hamilton Place. With a camera crew recording the team walking along the sidewalk, Bolts head coach Jon Cooper raised his arm at the camera and showed off his two rings from the past two seasons with a grin.
12:16 p.m. - We've made it through the gate and we're almost there. First, everyone has to make their way through security and a metal detector.
Just like going through TSA at the airport, the White House has a baggage scanner. I didn't bring a bag, so I grab a bin, empty my pockets, and fill it with my belongings.
After getting through the metal detector, I go to grab my stuff off the conveyer belt. As my bin comes out with my sunglasses, cell phone, and portable charger inside, I see the next bin coming behind mine, only this one has two Stanley Cup rings inside it. Maybe a little more valuable than my bin.
12:17 p.m. - We're in!
As we begin to enter the White House, we're greeted by several Military Social Aides, each of them with a smile on their face. We're directed with remarks of, "Right this way. Welcome to the White House." As I walk through the first door, the elegance is already so evident, with a violinist and guitarist serenading our group with a nice rendition of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." I couldn't help but think of former Lightning beat writer and current Manager of Communications, Bryan Burns, a West Virginia native and huge Mountaineers fan.
12:19 p.m. - It's time to head outside. We're directed to the South Lawn by more Military Social Aides with more smiles and more remarks of "Welcome to the White House."
12:20 p.m. - I make my way out to the South Lawn and see a familiar acquaintance of this Lightning team, the Stanley Cup. Sitting on a table beside a couple of risers, the Cup is as shiny as ever, with the sun reflecting off the silver and nickel alloy. Everyone gathers around the general area of the Cup as players and staff begin to take turns getting their photo with the Cup.
Some get their photo alone, others get their photo with a small group, and some do both. Many hold up their fist and flaunt their rings with huge smiles on their face.
There were a lot of different group photos taken and a lot of different reasons for all of them.
There were the three Russians - Nikita Kucherov, Mikhail Sergachev, and Andrei Vasilevskiy posing for a photo.
Then there were the three-time champions, four members of the current Lightning staff that have been along for the long haul and been a part of all three Stanley Cup championships. From left to right, all with three fingers held up, stood Senior Director of Team Services Ryan Belec, Video Coach Nigel Kirwan, Director of Sports Medicine & Head Athletic Trainer Tom Mulligan, and Senior Director of Broadcasting, Programming, and Communications Brian Breseman.
You had to get a photo with the entire coaching staff of Cooper, Derek Lalonde, Rob Zettler, Jeff Halpern, Frantz Jean, Kirwan, and Brian Garlock.
Another nationality photo sprung about with the three Czechs stepping up for a group photo in Erik Cernak, Ondrej Palat, and Jan Rutta.
The goalie gang needed to get their time with the Cup, as Vasilevskiy, Jean, and Curtis McElhinney posed for a photo.
Perhaps the most impactful photo I saw was one of three Black men that helped the Lightning hoist the Stanley Cup. From left to right stood former Bolts forward Mathieu Joseph, Jean, and Kirwan. Kirwan is believed to be the first Black coach on a Stanley Cup-winning team when he won it in 2004. That was a really awesome moment on a day filled with so many more.
You could just feel the pride from everyone at that event. There were stories being shared and memories being relived. The photos will make for more amazing memories, but the moment can also serve as a great reminder of what this group hopes to accomplish yet again with the playoffs around the corner.
12:34 p.m. - Let's get down to business. It's time for rehearsal.
With Breseman leading the charge and directing traffic, the Bolts begin to find their place around the stage for where they will need to stand when the real show begins.
12:42 p.m. - Only eight minutes!
Everyone is lined up and in their correct position. Front and center stood Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, a man who has made some of the biggest impacts on today's Tampa Bay community, with his wife, Penny, standing to his left.
Beside Mrs. Vinik stood two Lightning defensive stalwarts in Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh.
You can probably guess who was standing next to Mr. Vinik. Looking sharp, as always, was captain Steven Stamkos, with his great friend and another staple in the Lightning's core, Alex Killorn, standing beside him.
Everyone says cheese for a quick photo and that's it for the rehearsal.

12:53 p.m. - Right before we are ready to go into the White House, Cooper made sure to circle back and grab a photo with the Cup and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
12:55 p.m.- Time to head inside!
We're once again directed inside and make our way onto the ground floor of the White House.
Players and staff alike pull out their phones and start taking pictures and videos of the rich history. It was nothing short of incredible.
Every room was filled with elegance. I was able to snag a photo of a plate and platter used in President George Washington's home in New York. Both pieces were made in 1770. Over 250 years old, wow.
12:58 p.m.- As I was walking from one room to the next, there were a couple big-time conversations happening in the hallway.
I noticed two extremely influential figures in Bettman and Vinik having a quick chat and sharing some laughs.
Not far from them was Hedman, along with chief executive offer of Vinik Sports Group, Steve Griggs, having a quick chat. I overheard Hedman say to Griggs: "Well…this is pretty cool, huh?"
Definitely pretty cool.
1:01 p.m.- "Is everyone ready to head upstairs?"
We are all directed to head upstairs to the State Floor, where we would spend the majority of our time while inside the White House.
I keep using these same two words, but they are just so accurate for describing the interior of the building: historic and elegant.
As I walk up the stairs and turn into the Entrance Hall, I see a sextet performing a beautiful rendition of "We Are the Champions." Could there be a better song for the Bolts to walk into?
Some suggested Gravy Train or Thunderstruck, and it's hard to argue against those two Lightning classics, but I think the choice made by the White House was a perfect fit.

1:04 p.m.- Time to explore. This was my first time at the White House, so I was eager to see some of the history on the State Floor, as were many of the players.
One former Tampa Bay defenseman who has a vast knowledge of history is Braydon Coburn. As Coburn went to walk into the Green Room, he was halted by Killorn before he could make his way through the doorway.
"Excuse me sir, do you have credentials," Killorn quipped with a chuckle.
1:13 p.m.- I mentioned Coburn had some knowledge of history, right?
In the Green Room, Palat and Brayden Point were taking in a painting on the wall.
"Where is that," one of the Bolts players asked.
"That's Philadelphia," Coburn quickly replied from behind. "That's Independence Hall. I used to live two blocks from there. It's still there."
One Military Social Aide was kind enough to explain the origin of the painting to us. It turns out, the painting was purchased in India by a friend of President John F. Kennedy and gifted to the White House. It has hung in the Green Room ever since.
The craziest part? The painting was purchased for less than $20.
1:24 p.m.- I make my way into the East Room, where I see a massive portrait of George Washington. As I marvel the painting with a couple of players, we were given another history lesson.
Dolley Madison, the former First Lady and wife of President James Madison, was in the White House during the second year of the War of 1812. It was 1814 when the British set fire to the White House, but Madison refused to be rushed with the evacuation.
There was one thing she refused to leave without and that was the $800 portrait of Washington.
Here's where the story got even crazier. With the portrait screwed into the wall, the frame was broken and the canvas was wrapped up and rushed out of the White House.
However, the portrait was actually a copy of the original Gilbert Stuart painting, which today hangs in the Smithsonian Museum's National Portrait Gallery.
How do we know it was a copy? If you look at the bottom left of the portrait, there are a couple books leaning against the leg of a table. On the binding of the book, there are six words.
Those six words read, "Constitution and Laws of the United Sates," the misspelling of "States" done intentionally by Stuart.
Stuart misspelled the word in order to identify the painting as a copy. That copy remains the one piece of artwork hanging in the White House today that was saved before the British attack and is one of just three copies created by Stuart.
1:38 p.m. - Now we are set to return to the South Lawn and prepare for the ceremony with President Biden.
We all make our way outside, take our seats, and prepare for the ceremony. It's getting a little toastier outside. I think the sun reflecting off the Cup may be helping me catch a tan.
1:55 p.m. - Still sitting and eagerly awaiting the sight of the team and the President.
2:13 p.m.- It's time!
I look up and see Anthony Cirelli step out and make his way down the stairs, followed by the rest of his Bolts teammates.
The Lighnting get a nice round of applause and now it's time for the President to make his entrance.
2:15 p.m.- Here comes President Biden.
Accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Vinik, along with McDonagh, Biden makes his way onto the stage.
"Hello, everyone," Biden exclaims. "Welcome to the White House!"
The President gave a great speech, with some pretty awesome quotes along the way. Below are a few of my favorites.
"At the risk of stating the obvious here, it's a pretty good time to be a sports fan in Tampa. I don't know what the hell you have in the water down there."
"Led by your captain, a Lightning stalwart of 14 seasons, Steven - 14 seasons? You're getting old, man. I've got to get some advice from Steven about this."
"You may be here next year, if you're willing to come back."
2:20 p.m.- Mr. Vinik takes the podium. My favorite bit, "You're invited, Mr. President, for one of our one-of-a-kind championship boat parades and they are fun!"
Mr. Vinik proceeded to thank President Biden for the hospitality before inviting McDonagh up to the podium to speak.
2:25 p.m. - McDonagh takes the podium for an excellent speech. My favorite quote from McDonagh's speech: "The quest for a third Cup is not out of reach. We'll do whatever we can, Bolts nation."
2:27 p.m. - It's not a championship visit to the White House without a jersey presentation. Stamkos and Hedman present Biden with his very own, number 46, Lightning jersey, along with a silver stick. They pose for a photo with the Stanley Cup, followed by a group photo, before exiting the stage. Stamkos followed behind Biden and carried the Stanley Cup over to the Oval Office. Rumor has it that inside the Oval Office, Pat Maroon let Biden try on his white cowboy hat made of beaver fur.
2:45 p.m.- The Lightning exit the Oval Office as the day comes to a close. We got a chance to talk with a few players, who shared their thoughts on the day. One of my favorite quotes came from Lightning forward Ross Colton who said, "My heart's beating pretty fast. Just shook the President's hand, never in my life thought I'd be saying that. Being in the Oval Office was awesome. Just the whole day was extremely special. What a great group of guys to experience it with."
2:52 p.m. - That's all she wrote. Time to exit the property, get on the bus, and head to the airport for our trip back to Tampa. As we exited the property, all players and staff were handed an envelope with the White House address in the top corner. The envelope contained a Lightning-blue card, an invitation for the day at the White House. That will definitely be something I will keep and cherish forever.

3:52 p.m.- Back to Tampa. We board the plane and get comfortable for an easy, short flight back to Tampa. As we take off, I look out the window of the plane and take a moment to reflect on the day. Not many people get to step foot inside the White House. It was one of the best days of my life, filled with history, memories, and some amazing people. Hopefully we get to do it again within a few months.