Trump Hosts Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers at White House
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump welcomed the Florida Panthers to the White House on Thursday to celebrate their second straight Stanley Cup victory.
Trump held a ceremony for the team in the East Room. The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals.
“It is an honor to welcome the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers – to the White House – an incredible team, incredible athletes and players,” Trump said.
“These men are responsible for the greatest feats in Panthers franchise history, and beyond that…I mean, you compare them to some of the greatest hockey teams of all time,” he added.
Trump noted that the team has made three straight Finals appearances, including wins in 2024 and 2025, and a five-game loss to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2023.
“I just want to congratulate the incredible players,” the president said. “There’s something different about them because I watched some games, and it looked like it was going to be tough, and you took them away. You took them away for years.”
Captain Aleksander Barkov and winger Matthew Tkachuk presented Trump with rings, a Panthers jersey bearing his last name and the number 47, and a gold bat.
Tkachuk told Trump the stick was “good for cutting,” prompting a laugh from the president.
Speaking before the presentation, Tkachuk told Trump he was extremely honored to visit the White House as a Stanley Cup champion and American.
“I just want to say, on behalf of the entire organization and mainly the players, that we are very honored to be here as Americans. I know I said it last year, but I mean, nothing beats that,” he told the president.
“I’m so proud to be an American and so proud to be here with you and everyone,” he added.
