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Bruins White House Visit


peteyvegas

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I admit I'm a little old-fashioned when it comes to stuff like this. I always though it was kind of cool that U.S. presidents invited championship teams to the White House.

I respect the fact that everyone is free to voice his/her political beliefs in this country, but I think he should've gone anyway. I realize that he isn't the first nor last player to not go, but if everyone player did this, there'd be anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of teams not showing up to meet the prez, no matter who was in office. To me, it's a missed opportunity.

EDIT: LOL, I just read the post above about nine Devils showing up. I had forgotten about that. I do remember thinking at the time that it was a missed opportunity.

Edited by 95Crash
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Chiarelli opted not to suspend and fine the guy, which is worse than the guy having a tantrum and bragging about it in the first place. There were a lot of players in that room who don't approve of Obama, but they know the difference between a team event and a personal one. They know their goalie laid an egg and acted like a spoiled two-year-old. But it's not the first time he's done something petty and stupid and it won't be the last.

At least he spared Obama the ordeal of having to be polite to a selfish bigot. Of course being a man, Obama did his duty because it's a tradition that goes with the job, no matter what he thought of the team or its players.

I suppose it must be a comfort for you, DevilsFanSteve30, to think that so many of the people who are supposed to have your back in a crisis think it's perfectly fine not to show up if they don't want to.

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Its his right not to go, but his reasoning is shallow. Trying to politicize a innocent tradition like this is stupid and demeaning. No one gives a sh!t about Tim Thomas' political views at the end of the day. I would go regardless of who the President is, and if I didnt agree with his policies, I would hope to get a chance to express that to the President respectfully.

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Thanks for those links, DiG!

I particularly like this from the 95' one.

Martin Brodeur was one of the nine players in attendance. President Clinton singled him out and said he particularly liked Brodeur's nickname, which is The Kid.

"I got chills when he said that," Brodeur said afterward. "It's something special that I will remember for a long time."

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No prob, Steve!

I liked this one too:

From the NY Times:

In a Rose Garden ceremony, Bush said the Stanley Cup trophy, which was on display nearby, was proof of a team's "athleticism and desire and drive, a couple of cuts here and there, maybe a missed tooth or two." As if to underscore the point, Bush posed with gap-toothed defenseman Colin White, whose grin is testament to the rough-and-tumble nature of his profession.

Link to the photo of Bush and White with a big, goofy, gap-toothed smile (the photo itself won't embed into the post ... weird extension)

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I also like this:

The Devils have been winners in more ways than one lately. They were the envy of the draft in Edmonton on Saturday when they were able to select Petr Sykora, perhaps the most skilled forward in the draft.

A native of the Czech Republic, Sykora is a talented center, but he was overlooked by teams because of a shoulder separation he suffered in the winter playing for the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. Despite his immense talent, Sykora is certain to start the season with the Devils' top affiliate in the minor leagues, the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League.

17 years later... here he is having a standout season for us. awesome.

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What pisses me off is, if you have the balls to refuse the invitation, then have the balls to stand up and say that you are a Republican and do not believe in the President's policies, want to take this opportunity to make a political statement (which this clearly was), and don't want to be in his company.

I'm with this. Come right out and say you'd rather kiss Zdeno Chara on the mouth than have to put up with that "God-hating, baby-killing socialist scumbag" because at least there's no wishy-washy "I'll say this isn't political when it really is" idiocy.

Of course, if he kisses Chara on the mouth, the Republicans will probably kick him outta the party, but I digress...

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It was about the team and not him. Being a key piece to that team and not showing up wasn't the best move. Then saying a political statement about it...followed by saying it wasn't political kinda makes me scratch my head.

Bad move... overshadowed the team, I can respect his views, but not his decision.

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Its his right not to go

Actually it isn't - it's a team event and he's mandated to go.

"(d) to co-operate with the Club and participate in any and all reasonable promotional activities of the Club which will in the opinion of the Club promote the welfare of the Club and to cooperate in the promotion of the League and professional hockey generally,

"(e) to conduct himself on and off the rink according to the highest standards of honesty, morality, fair play and sportsmanship, and to refrain from conduct detrimental to the best interest of the Club, the League or professional hockey generally."

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He should have just gone and avoided all of this, but the media is really blowing it out of proportion. Lots of players have missed these things and there's never any mention of it.

Yeah really, I can't believe how big a deal this has become, and even his own GM supports his decision not to go. He shouldn't have to pretend to enjoy being there.

Chiarelli opted not to suspend and fine the guy, which is worse than the guy having a tantrum and bragging about it in the first place. There were a lot of players in that room who don't approve of Obama, but they know the difference between a team event and a personal one. They know their goalie laid an egg and acted like a spoiled two-year-old. But it's not the first time he's done something petty and stupid and it won't be the last.

At least he spared Obama the ordeal of having to be polite to a selfish bigot. Of course being a man, Obama did his duty because it's a tradition that goes with the job, no matter what he thought of the team or its players.

I suppose it must be a comfort for you, DevilsFanSteve30, to think that so many of the people who are supposed to have your back in a crisis think it's perfectly fine not to show up if they don't want to.

Dude relax, he didn't "have a tantrum and brag about it." He just declined to attend an event that many have declined to attend before, and when asked about it he gave a brief explanation. You are seriously overreacting.

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He should have just gone and avoided all of this, but the media is really blowing it out of proportion. Lots of players have missed these things and there's never any mention of it.

Can you name one player that has skipped a White House visit purely on political grounds? The bigger issue was his ridiculous posturing/statement that he made which was entirely political, which he ended with "Its not political".

And the media has made a big deal about this before. James Harrison didnt go to the first Steelers visit with Bush, his reasoning was that he didnt want to. He didnt go again when Obama was President either and used the same excuse.

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He should have just gone and avoided all of this, but the media is really blowing it out of proportion. Lots of players have missed these things and there's never any mention of it.

I can't remember a previous instance where the player went out of his way to make a political statement about it though. He could have privately told his coach/gm why he wasn't going and then publicly said he needed rest, recovering from a minor injury, wanted to spend the time off with his family or just stayed quiet. By making a political point about it he deserves all the attention that goes along with it, good or bad.

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Can you name one player that has skipped a White House visit purely on political grounds? The bigger issue was his ridiculous posturing/statement that he made which was entirely political, which he ended with "Its not political".

And the media has made a big deal about this before. James Harrison didnt go to the first Steelers visit with Bush, his reasoning was that he didnt want to. He didnt go again when Obama was President either and used the same excuse.

No, I can't name one because usually it's a non-issue. He was asked why he didn't go and he answered the question. If that's the way he feels about it, fine. Personally, if I were in that situation I'd go to the White House and enjoy the honor. He just didn't feel that way.

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Going to see the President after winning a championship has nothing to do with politics.. It's about being invited to the White House and having your day to be recognized by an important figure for a great achievement.. He made it a political issue and just looks like a real goober now.. Congrats Timmy, you made a stand about nothing and felt important

I just think its funny how my Republican Facebook friends are applauding him, when I know they'd be yelling about how "unpatriotic" this would be if their guy was in power

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TT is entitled to his beliefs and opinions, and it doesn't really matter if anyone agrees or disagrees with him on his views.

That being said, I believe it was the Boston Bruins (as a TEAM, and not as individuals) that won the Stanley Cup and were therefore invited to the White House and I think it was pretty petty on TT's part not to go.

I think it would have made more of a statement if he HAD gone and voiced his opinion in a respectful manner (which would have also been "balls-ier" imo), while still supporting his teammates and organization in general.

I'm not a big fan of the whole "I don't wanna go and you can't make me!" thing he had going on.

Then again, that's just my POV...

Edited by dmon2010
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He is free to do as he pleases. However the invite had nothing to do with politics, it was to celebrate the team. Thomas made it political. Bush had some of the lowest approval ratings of all time, and still players sucked it up and kept their mouth shut.

Ill say this though, if the Caps win the cup, it would be funny if they all declined, since Obama has yet to attend a game. Wizards, Redskins, Nationals have earned presidential attendance, but not the Caps.

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TT is entitled to his beliefs and opinions, and it doesn't really matter if anyone agrees or disagrees with him on his views.

That being said, I believe it was the Boston Bruins (as a TEAM, and not as individuals) that won the Stanley Cup and were therefore invited to the White House and I think it was pretty petty on TT's part not to go.

I think it would have made more of a statement if he HAD gone and voiced his opinion in a respectful manner (which would have also been "balls-ier" imo), while still supporting his teammates and organization in general.

I'm not a big fan of the whole "I don't wanna go and you can't make me!" thing he had going on.

Then again, that's just my POV...

Yeah I'd say this is exactly how I view it

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