Sponsored

Trump Trolls Canada As Stanley Cup Champs Party At White House

By No Comments
Florida Panthers White House
Photo Credit: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Trump took a victory lap over Canada at the White House while celebrating the Florida Panthers, turning a routine Stanley Cup ceremony into another pointed reminder of hockey’s long-running north-south divide.

President Donald Trump welcomed the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to Washington on Thursday and quickly turned congratulations into competition, openly mocking Canada’s decades-long championship drought.

“You denied Canada the Stanley Cup for the 32nd straight year,” Trump told the players as laughter filled the room. “We have a little competition with Canada … We’re doing much better than Canada, but that’s okay. We want them to do well, and they’re going to do well.”

The comment landed as another jab in Trump’s ongoing rivalry with America’s northern neighbor, delivered during a traditional White House celebration meant to honor the NHL’s reigning champions.

The Panthers’ victory over the Edmonton Oilers marked the second straight year the Florida franchise blocked a Canadian team from lifting hockey’s most coveted trophy.

Canada’s drought now stretches back to the 1992-93 season, when the Montreal Canadiens last captured the Stanley Cup, a statistic Trump appeared eager to spotlight.

The moment echoed earlier tensions between the two countries that flared during last year’s Four Nations Face-Off tournament, where politics and sports collided on the ice.

That tournament unfolded amid rising trade disputes, with Trump threatening an additional 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico at the time.

The political backdrop spilled into the stands, as both “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “O Canada” were booed by opposing fans ahead of matchups between Team USA and Canada.

Trump’s latest hockey-fueled barb came as the Winter Olympics approach, with the games set to begin next month in Italy.

Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk used the moment to look ahead to international competition, telling Trump he is eager to suit up for Team USA.

“Representing you and the millions back here next month in the Olympics will be one of the highlights of my life as well,” Tkachuk told the president. “We’re not stopping now, we hope to be here next year.”

The NHL is set to pause for the Olympics, but Tkachuk hinted that the Panthers plan to resume their dominance once the season restarts later in February.

When play resumes, Tkachuk joked that Trump should clear space for another championship ring at the White House.

🚨 URGENT AMERICA-FIRST ALERT 🚨

TRUMP’S $2,000 TARIFF STIMULUS CHECKS MAY BE GOING OUT! WILL YOU CLAIM YOURS?

Take the LIVE POLL NOW!

“On behalf of the whole organization and mainly the players, we are so honored to be here,” Tkachuk told Trump.

“Being an American, I know I said it last year, but I mean, nothing beats this. I’m so proud to be an American, and I’m so proud to be here with you and everybody else.”

The celebration highlighted how dramatically the Panthers’ fortunes have changed, transforming a once-overlooked franchise into a modern NHL powerhouse.

Though Tkachuk scored two goals in the Stanley Cup Final, he suggested the White House experience rivaled anything accomplished on the ice.

“The two Cups was pretty good, but that walk with you might’ve ‘Trumped’ it all there,” Tkachuk joked. “That was pretty amazing.”

Trump returned the praise, commending the Panthers for delivering the first Stanley Cup titles in South Florida history.

“It’s an honor to welcome to the White House the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers,” Trump told the room.

“Unbelievable team, unbelievable athletes, players. These men are responsible for the greatest feats in Panthers’ franchise history.”

The president also teased the players over their near three-peat, referencing the Panthers’ loss in the 2023 final.

“The one that you didn’t make, what the hell happened to you? You should have won that game,” Trump quipped.

Before gifts were exchanged, Trump introduced team owner Vincent Viola, a billionaire whose remarks underscored the organization’s admiration for the administration.

“I’m going to make it pretty clear that we are honored to be here, we are honored to be here with you as the president,” Viola told Trump.

The ceremony quickly turned playful as Trump noticed a gleaming gold hockey stick and joked that, as president, he could simply take it.

Tkachuk obliged, handing over the stick and noting it could be useful for slashing opposing players.

The president smiled and parroted the line. “Good for slashing,” Trump said.

Defenseman Seth Jones followed by presenting Trump with a Stanley Cup ring, while captain Aleksander “Sasha” Barkov gifted the president a No. 47 Panthers jersey.

Trump, never one to resist commentary, joked about the players’ appearance and presence.

“Good-looking people, young beautiful people, I hate them,” Trump said, drawing laughs.

“You hate standing here with all this power behind you. But I got power too. It’s called the United States military,” he added.

The Panthers arrived dressed in classic Trump-style fashion, with navy suits, white shirts, and bright red ties dominating the room.

As the event wound down, Trump invited the players to walk through his newly installed Presidential Walk of Fame.

The West Wing display features portraits of former presidents alongside plaques describing their achievements or controversies.

“We’re going to pass the Presidential Wall of Fame,” Trump told the group before veering into an unscripted aside.

“So I had a choice, walk of fame or wall of fame,” he explained. “It said walk because I think of the walk of shame.”

Trump said the phrase alone gave him pause, joking that people might read into the wording.

As the players filtered out, an orchestral version of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” played while Trump exited the stage, capping a ceremony that blended hockey, humor, and another unmistakable jab at Canada.

Watch the full White House ceremony here:

Leave A Reply