Joe Biden welcomes NHL Stanley Cup winners Vegas Golden Knights to White House

Nov. 13 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden on Monday honored the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, winners of the 2023 Stanley Cup, during a White House ceremony in which he praised them as one of the "best shows" in the Nevada entertainment mecca.

"Today, we celebrated the Vegas Golden Knights on their hard-earned Stanley Cup victory," Biden said in a post on X. "They're proving Vegas sports is one of the best shows in town."

Flanked by George McPhee, the Golden Knights' president of hockey operations, and team captain Mark Stone, Biden accepted a ceremonial team jersey emblazoned with the number 46, referencing Biden's status as the United States' 46th president, and a hockey stick.

Biden complimented the team for its decisive four-games-to-one Stanley Cup Finals victory over the Florida Panthers earlier this year and complimented the squad for the contributions they've made in pulling the city together after the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting in which 58 people died and 500 others were injured.

The Golden Knights, he said, have been "showing up for victims' families, survivors, first responders. In fact, your championship rings honor them. The diamonds on your ring is in the form a star -- the same star on the banner that you raised that honored 58 people who were lost on that day.

"For Vegas, for Nevada, for all of us, thank you for shining and sharing that light," he said.

Stone, who led all players in the 2023 Finals with five goals and four assists for nine points, said it's "an incredible honor to be here at the White House.

"As kids, we grew up dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup. But even over the last five months -- I think it's five months to the day that we raised the Stanley Cup -- I think it's definitely exceeded all my expectations and everything that has gone along with it."

Stone, a 31-year-old native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, drew laughs when he added, "[Las Vegas] is, of course, an amazing city. It's the entertainment capital of the world. I say that with all due respect to Delaware, Mr. President!"