Staff Reports
President Donald J. Trump welcomed the Florida Panthers to the White House on January 15, 2026, celebrating their 2025 Stanley Cup victory with the kind of pageantry Americans love. Players presented the President with a No. 47 jersey, championship rings, and a gilded hockey stick, and Trump proudly showed off the ring and waved the stick for the cameras. The official White House photo gallery and coverage made clear this was a full-throated American celebration of athletic excellence.
The Panthers are not just champions — they are back-to-back champions, having beaten the Edmonton Oilers to secure consecutive titles and cement Florida’s place atop the NHL. Their 5–1 clinching win in Game 6 of the 2025 Final capped a dominant run and proved that elite hockey thrives in America’s markets as well as its traditional homes. The team’s return visit followed the long-standing tradition of honoring professional champions at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
In his remarks the President didn’t mince words, noting the Panthers “denied Canada the Stanley Cup” and joking about the friendly rivalry between our two nations. That line landed because it speaks to a larger reality: American teams have carried the Cup for decades now, and the White House moment was a patriotic nod to that dominance. Trump’s proud, competitive spirit was exactly what hardworking Americans want to see when our champions visit their president.
Make no mistake about the history: the last Canadian team to hoist the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, and Canadian cities have waited more than three decades for a return to the top. From 1994 through 2025 every Stanley Cup has been claimed by a U.S.-based franchise — a 32-year streak that quietly underscores American strength in a sport Canadians once monopolized. That is a fact that the media politely shrugs at, but it matters to fans and to national pride.
While some outlets couldn’t resist mocking the President or turning the ceremony into yet another culture-war spectacle, everyday Americans saw what it was: a celebration of winners who earned their place the old-fashioned way. The New York Post and other outlets captured the pomp and the playful swagger, while left-leaning outlets tried to turn his enthusiasm into clickbait. Conservatives should be unapologetic about cheering for American champions and for a president who publicly honors hard work and victory.
This White House visit on January 15, 2026, was more than photo ops and shiny rings — it was a message to the country that winning still matters and that American teams will compete and triumph on the world stage. Proud fans, veterans, and parents who teach their kids grit and teamwork deserve to see their leaders applaud success, not shrink from it. Let the Panthers keep skating, let Canada keep trying, and let America keep celebrating champions who prove every day that we lead the pack.
