Washington Capitals Player Suggests He’ll Skip WH Reception if His Team Wins Stanley Cup – By Brady Kenyon (cnsnews.com) / June 7 2018
Washington Capitals’ Forward Devante Smith-Pelly suggests he won’t attend a White House ceremony if his team wins the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup this year.
As reported by Canada’s National Post, Smith-Pelly has implied he won’t attend the White House reception honoring the league’s champions hosted by President Donald Trump.
“It hasn’t come up here, but I think I already have my mind made up,” stated Smith-Pelly on the possibility of attending the White House ceremony.
“The things that he spews are straight-up racist and sexist,” Smith-Pelly said, adding, “Some of the things he’s said are pretty gross, I’m not too into politics, so I don’t know all his other views, but his rhetoric I definitely don’t agree with.”
“I don’t want to comment on that,” stated Smith-Pelly’s teammate, Center Nicklas Backstrom. “I’m staying out of politics,” Backstrom said.
Capitals Defensemen Brooks Orpik was also diplomatic, telling Postmedia that “everyone has their own opinions” and “not everyone is going to agree on everything.”
Orpik visited the Obama White House as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009.
If Smith-Pelly chooses to skip the White House ceremony, he won’t be the first Stanley Cup champion to do so.
In 2011, Boston Bruins’ Goaltender Tim Thomas, the Stanley Cup MVP, refused to attend the Obama White House reception for his championship team.
“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People,” Thomas explained at the time. “This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.” Thomas said.
“Because I believe this, today, I exercised my right as a free citizen and did not visit the White House,” Thomas said.
