"It's a great honor for me, because I am a Hockey fan, and I am a Capitals fan", Trump told the team as they visited the Oval Office. "This guy [Ovechkin], Ihave no choice but to be his fan because he is something special. Look at those hands. Special guy, special athlete player. They all are. They won something last year… that's all people wanted to talk about. I couldn't get them focused on other things that we deal with which are very important".
Amazing day today at the White House. Thank you for this great opportunity — it was a memorable experience for everyone involved.#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/p4XVzSex2z
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) 25 марта 2019 г.
Trump said he believes the team will do great in the upcoming playoffs this year and wished the players good luck.
"Good luck in the playoffs", Trump said. "I think you are going to do fantastic […] Alex, i know you are going to do great". "You brought the Stanley Cup home", Trump added. "I have a feeling you are going to be doing it again".
A great team smile #StanleyCup @Capitals @WhiteHouse @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/9QYjcyvdNT
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) 25 марта 2019 г.
The Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup last year for the first time in history, and Ovechkin became the first Russian with the rank of a team captain to ever win the cup. The Washington Capitals claimed a 4-3 victory in the final playoff match over the Vegas Golden Knights ice hockey team.
Besides Ovechkin, two more Russian athletes play for the Capitals, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov.
READ MORE: Washington Capitals Win Their First Stanley Cup: Captain Alex Ovechkin Named MVP
