The Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship with a visit to the White House on Monday, and took to social media to show their appreciation.
President Joe Biden avoided politics in honoring the Lightning and taking a rare sports break amid his administration's response to Russia's war in Ukraine.
(You can watch the presentation here):
Tune in as I welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to the White House to celebrate their 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup championships. https://t.co/XZaf992Fz5
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 25, 2022
The president cracked jokes about captain Steven Stamkos but made little mention of other players. There were no notable boycotts by Lightning players, who made an extra trip to Washington just for this occasion.
Russian players Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev attended the White House ceremony, and the team shared photos on social media.
— x - Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 25, 2022
Having ourselves a day. pic.twitter.com/gEPfwRmpae
— x - Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 25, 2022
📍 1600 Pennsylvania Ave pic.twitter.com/SGjBN6MfgN
— x - Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) April 25, 2022
The Lightning were joined by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and the WWE's Titus O'Neil during the ceremony.
Champa Bay is in the house - THE @WhiteHouse! 🏒🏆
— Jane Castor (@JaneCastor) April 25, 2022
Today, @POTUS honored the 2020 & 2021 @tblightning teams for becoming our BACK TO BACK STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS. We are so, so proud of our guys. pic.twitter.com/nMSqRa78LY
Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn also weighed in with a "Champa Bay" tweet, which seemed to be the theme of the day.
Great day for Champa Bay. pic.twitter.com/FlwHUYt8LA
— Bob Buckhorn (@BobBuckhorn) April 25, 2022
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
