Florida Panthers Celebrated at the White House – President Donald Trump Marks Historic Victory

Florida Panthers Celebrated at the White House – President Donald Trump Marks Historic Victory

Miami: President Donald Trump welcomed the Florida Panthers team members to the White House on Monday afternoon to celebrate their historic Stanley Cup victory.

This was the first visit by a professional sports team to the White House during Trump's second term. Trump remarked, "The Panthers, 2023 and 2024, season will go down in history books. It was really an exciting time. Everyone was watching."

He added, "You secured the Atlantic Division title for the third time, and after coming close to winning the Stanley Cup last year, you staged one of the most incredible comebacks in sports history. I don't know much about comebacks, but they tell me it was amazing."

The Florida Panthers presented President Trump with a customized "Trump 45-47" jersey and also gifted him a "Trump 47" jersey and a gold stick.

The ceremony was delayed for nearly an hour due to Trump's discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding pausing tariffs on the country.

In June, Florida Panthers captured their first-ever Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game series in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

The Panthers secured their title in front of more than 19,000 fans at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, with a 2-1 victory in Game 7. Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe scored for Florida, while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves to ensure the win.

The intense series saw Florida take a 3-0 lead before dropping the next three games, narrowly avoiding becoming only the second team in NHL history to lose a Stanley Cup Final after leading 3-0. The 1942 Detroit Red Wings are the only team to have suffered this fate.

This victory denied Edmonton its first championship since 2006 and prevented Oilers captain Connor McDavid from securing his first Stanley Cup.

Across South Florida, fans were ecstatic, with celebrations erupting throughout the region as the Panthers clinched their long-awaited title.