Hard Rock Guitar Hotel lights up to celebrate Panthers Stanley Cup. The Florida Panthers arrived in Washington D.C. on Monday for the start of their latest road trip. They arrived a little earlier than usual, as the team generally holds a practice before departing on a roadie when the scheduling allows, because they had somewhere to visit while in our nation’s capital. The Stanley Cup Champion Panthers stopped by the White House to see President Donald Trump, a tradition for past championship teams. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] Recently the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning where there to celebrate their respective Cup wins. The Panthers, all wearing their Stanley Cup rings, gathered in the East Room of the White House to meet with the president. Joining the players and coaching staff were team management and owner Vincent Viola. "This is really something special," Trump said. "Because I watched those games and I was a little bit worried after, I watched the three up and well this is over, because Vinny is a friend of mine, and then they lost three and I said 'ooh this is going to be a tough loss.' That would've been bad, but real champions can pull it out." Trump selected Viola to be his Secretary of the Army nominee in 2016, but Viola ended up withdrawing from consideration. Flanking Trump on the stage was Viola, Matthew Tkachuk and team captain Sasha Barkov, with the rest of the team right there as well. "We brought a cohort of champions to visit a champion," Viola said to the president. He also presented Trump with a custom 45-47 Panthers jersey, complete with a 'POTUS' patch where it normally would say 'Captain' on the shoulder. Tkachuk also briefly spoke at the event, and Barkov presented him with a personalized jersey and gold hockey stick. "Being one of the few Americans (on the team) who loves this country so much, this is such an incredible day for myself," said Tkachuk. "You wake up every day really grateful to be an American, so thank you." Trump jokingly asked if he could also keep the Stanley Cup. Afterwards, the team followed Trump to the Oval Office while a band played "We Are The Champions" in the background. The Panthers will be back in action on Tuesday when they visit the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Three takeaways: Cats stringing wins together, goals coming for Verhaeghe [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-cats-stringing-wins-together-goals-coming-for-verhaeghe] Verhaeghe hat trick leads Florida to 6-3 win over Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/verhaeghe-hat-trick-leads-florida-to-6-3-win-over-islanders] Panthers wrap up latest back-to-back set as red-hot Islanders arrive in South Florida [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-wrap-up-latest-back-to-back-set-as-red-hot-islanders-arrive-in-south-florida] Three takeaways: Early wake-up call, Gadjovich's impactful return [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-early-wake-up-call-gadjovichs-impactful-return] Balanced scoring, strong goaltending lead Panthers to 5-1 victory over Chicago [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/balanced-scoring-strong-goaltending-lead-panthers-to-5-1-victory-over-chicago] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
