Biden honors 2-time NHL champs Tampa Bay Lightning at White House

April 25 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden welcomed two-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning to the White House on Monday, praising the team for both its on-ice wins and off-ice charitable efforts.

With team captain Steven Stamkos, other players and team owner Jeff Vinik arrayed behind him on the South Lawn, Biden called the Lightning "one of the most well-rounded teams in recent memory" with its back-to-back championships.

"This team joined rare company -- one of only eight teams over the last century to win two Stanley Cups in a row," Biden said. "And I know that those two championships are very different," he added, noting that the team's 2020 win came in the NHL's COVID-19 "bubble" in Edmonton, Canada, while the second came in front of home fans.

"Don't underestimate what that feeling meant to so many fans, especially kids, and lifelong memories you created for countless families," he said.

Following their two consecutive NHL titles, the Lightning are preparing for a third run at the cup. Their trips to the White House have been delayed because of COVID-19 restrictions. The last NHL team to visit the White House was the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 15, 2019, after they won their title.

The president also honored the team's community and charitable activities, through which it has raised more than $25 million for local causes.

The team, he said, turned its home arena into "a lifeline for families in Tampa" with its "Shots On Ice" program in which western Florida residents were encourage to get vaccinated at the venue during last year's Stanley Cup run.

Biden credited the program with "helping save lives" and "helping the country and our economy."

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, a native of St. Paul, Minn., said winning two straight Stanley Cups constituted a "historic run" for the Lightning while noting they had to overcome challenges imposed by COVID-19 restrictions en route to the accomplishment.

At the end of it all, however, "we found ourselves at Amalie Arena with a chance to win the Stanley Cup, not only in front of family and friends, but in front of a packed arena filled with Bolts Nation fans -- an unbelievable memory," he said.

The Lightning became the second Tampa Bay team to visit the White House within the past 12 months. The Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL visited the White House last July after winning the Super Bowl the February before.

The Lightning, which have clinched a playoff spot again this season, beat the Florida Panthers on Sunday before leaving for Washington, D.C., on Monday. The Lightning will travel to Columbus, Ohio, after the visit to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.