LOS ANGELES KINGS HONORED AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Read about and watch the February 2, 2015 event where President Obama honored the 2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings and the 2014 MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy.
at the White House on February 2, 2015.
Official White House Photo: Pete Souza
LOS ANGELES — As they did in March 2013, after they won the 2012 Stanley Cup Championship, the Los Angeles Kings visited the White House in Washington, D.C., as honored guests of the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, on February 2, to be honored as the 2014 Stanley Cup Champions.
Just like in 2012, the Kings shared the honor with Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy (they won the 2012 MLS Cup), who won the 2014 MLS Cup Championship.
Both the Kings and the Galaxy are owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group.
“As a Chicago fan, I’m a little resentful,” President Obama said in his remarks in the East Room of the White House. “You guys have an embarrassment of riches.”
“Today feels a little like Groundhog Day,” President Obama added. “If you’re feeling a little déja vu, you’re not alone. Two years ago, we had the Galaxy and the Kings here together, so if you see Bill Murray playing the piano in the foyer (a reference to the movie, Groundhog Day), you know something weird’s going on, and we’re probably going to do this again.”
In his remarks, which were made available by the White House on their web site, and on YouTube (see below), the President went on to praise the Galaxy, noting that the Galaxy’s 2014 championship was their third in four seasons, and their fifth overall, the most by any Major League Soccer team.
Then, it was the Kings’ turn in the spotlight.
“Like the Galaxy, the Kings needed overtime to win their championship,” the President said. “They needed two of them, in fact, and that was the easy part. Just to get to the finals, the Kings had to win three straight Game 7’s, all on the road. They dug themselves out of a 3-0 hole against San Jose in the first round—they’re laughing, because they’re thinking ‘man, let’s try to do it easier next time.’”
“In the conference final, they beat my Blackhawks, which is unfortunate,” the President added, grinning. “I mean, first of all, in L.A., there’s not even any ice, really. So you’d think, like Chicago, where it’s probably ten degrees below zero today, at least we’d get some hockey. But we’ve won a couple, so I can’t complain.”
The President also noted the impact the Kings have made on the Los Angeles area.
“The Kings have done the unthinkable,” the President noted. “They have turned a city with no snow, no ice, and no winter into a hockey town, complete with an outdoor game in Dodger Stadium. They’ve done it with a team that L.A. fans have embraced, guys like goalie Jonathan Quick, playoff MVP Justin Williams, the first line of [Dustin] Brown, [Anze] Kopitar and [Marian] Gaborik, Jeff Carter and his hockey smile, and of course, Coach [Darryl] Sutter and his one-liners with the press.”
“I’ve tried those one-liners, by the way, with the press, and it never seems to work,” the President quipped.
That some Kings players represented their countries at the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia did not go unnoticed by the President.
“I’ve also got to mention that in the middle of their season, a lot of these guys played for their national teams at Sochi, and we were proud to have Jonathan Quick and Dustin Brown wearing the red, white and blue on behalf of Team USA—very proud of them,” said President Obama. “That’s just one example of how these teams represent more than the colors they wear for the Kings or the Galaxy.”
“Both teams are major supporters of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles,” added President Obama. “The Kings have partnered with Discovery Cube L.A., a local museum, on an exhibit called “The Science of Hockey,” to give kids a mental and physical workout. The Galaxy players served meals to more than 2,000 families at Thanksgiving, and the organization built a soccer field for the community to use in South L.A.”
“Congratulations to both these teams, to the City of Los Angeles and its fans, and best of luck when you are not playing Chicago.”
After the President concluded his remarks, Kings head coach Darryl Sutter presented President Obama with a silver hockey stick with the following inscription engraved into the blade:
“Presented to President Barack Obama By The 2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, February 2, 2015.”
“Man look at this, this is what I’m talking about,” the President said when presented with the stick. “This is even better than a veto pen. This is excellent. You don’t want to mess with somebody who has one of these. This will be in the library someday.”
During media availability following the event (available on KingsVision), Luc Robitaille, Kings President, Business Operations, talked about the honor.
“When you play professional sports, and you have an opportunity to win a championship, there’s always talk about going to the White House, and meeting the President, so certainly, it was an honor today,” he said. “It’s special for both of our teams, so it was great to be able to be here today. It’s special for AEG, and it’s special for both teams to be here today.”
Brown noted the President’s mention of his participation in the Sochi Games.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by the President of the United States, but it’s an honor just representing your country in any capacity,” he noted. “To be to be part of the Olympic team was a huge honor, and to have it be noticed by him was pretty special.”
2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, 2014 MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy Honored At The White House, February 2, 2015
2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, 2014 MLS Cup Champion Los Angeles Galaxy Honored At The White House, February 2, 2015 – Selected Photos from Getty Images
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