Trump welcomes NHL champion Penguins to White House

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Despite recent blows between Donald Trump and the Golden State Warriors as to whether the NBA champions would visit the White House, Trump largely kept politics out of his remarks to the NHL champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The Penguins were the third championship team to visit Trump at the White House, following the NFL's New England Patriots and Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. Trump recently dis-invited the NBA's champion Golden State Warriors, after members of the team said they didn't want to go.

According to a transcript of his remarks published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Trump did sneak in a jab at the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, the trade deal between Mexico, Canada and the United States.

"I would love to have Ron Burkle," Trump said of Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle, who founded venture capital firm Yucaipa Companies. "And it's great to have you Ron, but I really mean that, If you want to get involved in negotiating NAFTA, I like it. Because we're renegotiating NAFTA, Ron. Of course, he may not like that, because maybe he's on the other side. That's what's happening. That's why it's so hard to redo these trade deals because there's so many other -- you're not on the other side of NAFTA, Ron, are you?"

Burkle told Trump he is not "on the other side."

But otherwise Trump praised the Penguins for their on-ice achievements, singling out some of their leaders, including captain Sidney Crosby.

"This guy -- man, can you play," Trump said. "Sidney, do you know how to win or what? Look at him, he's shy. Do you know how to win or what? Great. Great job. What a job you've done. "