Some Caps Players Are Going To The White House. Some Are Not Going. And Both Are Okay.

I think this was very well said by John Carlson. So simple and so well stated. He wants to be a part of the experience. It’s so rare to get an invite to the White House and he wants to be there for it. Nothing wrong with that.

And then on the other side, Braden Holtby doesn’t feel right going to the White House and mingling with the current president, so he won’t be attending.

Advertisement

I think that’s also fair. If I was invited to a party but I thought the person who was hosting the party was a huge piece of shit, I wouldn’t go to his party. Obviously Trump is very polarizing and people have strong views about him. And that’s the beauty of America, you’re allowed to.

I wrote this in August when DSP and Conno said they wouldn’t be attending, and I think it summarizes my feelings pretty nicely:

Tapes exist where Trump openly talks about sexual assault. I could see how that could ruffle feathers. Just because Donald Trump is now the president and not the host of The Apprentice doesn’t mean people have to forgive him for past infractions, nor his current ones as president that people disagree with.

On the other hand, if people want to go, by all means, go and have a good time. It’s very, very rare you get a tour of the White House with your friends like that. It’s one of the perks of winning the Stanley Cup, and if people want to take advantage of that, regardless of who the president is, we shouldn’t shame them for it.

At the end of the day, I think everyone should chill out. Adults can make their adult decision on if they want to attend the White House or not. It’s a bunch of Canadians and Europeans having lunch with a guy who doesn’t even know offsides from icing, so if they don’t go, it’s truly not a big deal. And for those who do go, hey, that’s a cool perk of winning the Stanley Cup. We should just understand everyone can make their own decision for their own personal reasons, and leave it at that. Because at the end of the day we’re the Stanley Cup champions, and that’s all that matters.