The Penguins will visit the White House, despite the controversy with the president Trump

Photo: Justin Berl Getty Images / Agence France-Presse
The Penguins issued a press release Sunday morning where they stated they respected the president and “the long tradition of teams champions who visit the White House”.

Pittsburgh — The defending champions of the Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins, have said that they had accepted the president’s invitation to Donald Trump to make it to the White House, while the players, coaches and owners of the NFL and the NBA are involved in a war of words with the president of the United States.

The Penguins issued a press release Sunday morning where they stated they respected the president and ” the long tradition of teams champions who visit the White House “. The Penguins have been honoured by Barack Obama after winning the Stanley cup in 2016, and by George H. W. Bush in the early 1990s.

“Any difference of opinion with the policies of the president, his decisions or his agenda can be expressed otherwise. However, we respect the freedom of expression of individuals and groups, as it should be, ” wrote the team.

Trump has withdrawn his invitation to the White House for the champions of the NBA, the Warriors of Golden State, Saturday, after the team had indicated that she would refuse, a decision that has aroused the unease of star players such as LeBron James and Chris Paul. He also said that the owners of the NFL should “fire” the players that pose one knee on the ground during the national anthem as a sign of protest, resulting in strong emotional reactions within the league and the players Association of the NFL, as well as with coaches and owners.

The tensions are not as sharp between the government Trump and the NHL, since Americans are a minority within the pool of players compared to Europeans and Canadians. Blake Wheeler, an attacker Winnipeg Jets a native of Plymouth, Minnesota, was one of the few NHL players to criticize Trump on social networks for his comments about the athletes protesters in various professional sports in north america.