00:00 (band playing)
00:02 (applause)
00:30 >> The President: Nevada's here.
00:32 (applause)
00:36 I'll be gone. Please have a seat.
00:40 Please have a seat. And welcome to the White House.
00:42 The 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights.
00:49 (applause)
00:54 President Harris is here to make sure we do this the right way.
00:57 And while he couldn't be here,
00:59 I want to thank former Cabinet member of mine,
01:02 Motty Walsh from Boston.
01:04 I think he'd rather be standing up there
01:07 than be the Commissioner.
01:09 Thank you all very much.
01:11 Now he's now President of the NHL Players Union.
01:14 And a special thanks to the Commissioner who's here,
01:18 who's on -- congrats on 30 years --
01:21 30 years of running and growing a league.
01:24 (applause)
01:25 30 years. Team owner, Bill Foley,
01:30 and the entire organization you built on an ice rink
01:34 in the middle of the desert.
01:35 (laughter)
01:37 And who says you can't get anything done?
01:39 A team -- and a team of all time --
01:42 for a team of all time. Look, Bruce, the entire staff,
01:45 congratulations on an incredible coaching job.
01:48 To the devoted fans, many of whom --
01:51 (applause)
01:59 -- we got two future players right here.
02:00 Look at them. They're ready.
02:02 (applause)
02:05 Many of whom are here today, including members of Congress
02:07 as well.
02:09 And the family of one of my dear friends,
02:11 late Senator Harry Reid. Where's the Reid family?
02:13 (applause)
02:16 There you are.
02:18 (applause)
02:20 Biggest fan, man.
02:21 (applause)
02:23 You couldn't deny it.
02:24 Even if you wanted to, you look like that.
02:27 Harry Reid was one of my great, great friends.
02:30 And most of all, congrats to those incredible players
02:33 led by Captain Mark Stone.
02:35 (applause)
02:41 Now, Mark's my kind of guy.
02:43 (applause)
02:44 I didn't play ice hockey, but I did play football.
02:46 And this is a guy like some of the guys I played with.
02:50 Two back surgeries -- two back surgeries in a year.
02:53 Missed the second half of the season,
02:56 returns for game one of the playoffs,
02:59 and scores a hat trick in game five to win the Stanley Cup.
03:02 (applause)
03:12 I had a coach used to always say --
03:14 W. Ramey said, "No, no, just get up. Get up."
03:18 This guy gets up and goes, man.
03:20 Look, just six years ago, the idea of a championship team
03:23 playing on the ice in the Vega Desert --
03:25 oh, Vegas Desert -- I mean, think about this.
03:28 (laughter)
03:30 Who would have -- who would have thunk of it, as they say?
03:33 Seemed like a pipe dream.
03:35 But the team ownership had faith,
03:36 predicting a playoff run in three years
03:39 and a Stanley Cup in six.
03:41 I -- I got to talk to him because the polling data --
03:43 I'm not paying much attention to.
03:45 (laughter)
03:48 Ever since, this team has proved that, in Vegas,
03:51 you can beat the odds.
03:52 A trip to the finals in your first year --
03:55 very first year.
03:57 Five total trips to the playoffs.
03:59 Four conference finals. 267 total wins in six years.
04:05 One of the best win records in hockey.
04:07 (applause)
04:15 When it came up short in the playoffs,
04:16 you never gave up, necessarily led by a --
04:19 a hell of a defense and a powerful offense.
04:24 You dominated the regular season.
04:26 Then, in the playoffs, defeating all-star teams
04:29 like the Jets, the Oilers, the Stars,
04:31 without ever facing elimination.
04:33 And in the Stanley Cup Finals,
04:36 you beat the Panthers to become the champions.
04:38 Led by these incredible players --
04:40 Jack leading the league with 26 points in postseason;
04:44 John, the first true undrafted player in history,
04:47 off of the draft to win the final --
04:50 win that final MVP trophy.
04:51 Look -- (applause)
04:57 -- and, above all, you work as a team with a winning culture
05:01 built through hard work and determination.
05:03 You make folks cheer.
05:06 And, by the way, you make folks laugh.
05:09 I heard that, in addition to giving the --
05:12 each game's MVP the Elvis-wigging glasses.
05:15 (Laughter.)
05:17 Only in Vegas. Only in Vegas.
05:20 And together, you're building a legacy
05:22 and a great American sports city.
05:24 In fact, Kamala hosted the Las Vegas Aces back in September,
05:28 when they just won -- (applause)
05:30 -- a back-to-back WNBA title.
05:32 Just one promise.
05:38 Don't get the filled-up Eagles, we'll leave and go.
05:41 (Laughter.)
05:43 Because I'll get divorced if that happens.
05:45 (Laughter.)
05:46 I married a Philly girl, and -- and it's a long story.
05:49 (Laughter.)
05:51 Look, you guys got to keep it up.
05:53 Let me close with this.
05:55 You're proving Vegas sports is one of the best shows in town,
05:58 but you're also proving something else about sports.
06:02 Like all great franchises, you give back.
06:05 You give back to the community.
06:07 Sponsoring after-school activities for kids
06:09 and programs for disabled -- the disabled community.
06:12 Honoring service members, veterans,
06:15 and military families at games and hockey clinics.
06:17 And hosting -- hosting food drives and providing grants
06:22 to help fight homelessness and hunger throughout the southern --
06:26 throughout southern Nevada.
06:28 And in your case, you're also held the entire city together.
06:31 You know, we've seen it ever since that very first season,
06:36 just after 1 October, mass shooting in 2017.
06:40 Showing up for victims' families, survivors,
06:43 first responders.
06:44 In fact, your championship ring honors them.
06:47 The diamonds on your ring is from a former star --
06:50 the same star on the banner that you raised
06:53 that honored 58 people who were lost on that day.
06:56 You guys are something else.
06:58 When you raised that banner, this organization --
07:01 organization said, quote,
07:03 "Their light continues to shine bright."
07:06 In no small part because of all of you.
07:08 For Vegas, for Nevada, for all of us,
07:11 thank you for shining and sharing that light.
07:14 You're Vegas born. You're Vegas strong.
07:18 Congratulations again.
07:20 I'm going to turn this over to Mark to say a few words.
07:23 (Applause.)
07:34 >> All right, I'm going to be a little quicker.
07:39 First off, it's an incredible honor
07:45 to be here at the White House.
07:47 As kids, we grew up dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup.
07:52 But even over the last five months --
07:55 I think it's five months to the day
07:56 that we raised the Stanley Cup --
07:58 I think it's definitely exceeded all my expectations
08:01 and everything that has gone along with it.
08:04 We all come here in awe of this beautiful place
08:09 and have such respect for you and the office that you hold.
08:13 It's an honor.
08:16 (Applause.)
08:26 It's a lot easier playing hockey in front of 20,000 than this.
08:29 (Laughter.)
08:31 I can confirm that.
08:33 It's an honor to speak on behalf of not only my teammates,
08:37 but the entire organization and the city of Las Vegas.
08:42 It is, of course, an amazing city.
08:45 It's the entertainment capital of the world.
08:48 I say that with all due respect to Delaware, Mr. President.
08:52 (Laughter and applause.)
09:02 Again, thank you so much.
09:04 This is, you know, for some of us,
09:07 once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
09:10 Fortunately, some guys have done this more than once.
09:13 We're looking forward to trying to get back here next November.
09:18 (Applause.)
09:22 This has exceeded all expectations
09:25 that I've had for this visit.
09:26 But, Mr. President, I'll be joined now
09:29 with the president of our hockey club, George McPhee.
09:34 We'd like to present you with a jersey
09:36 and, in true Vegas golden fashion,
09:38 a golden hockey stick engraved with everything for yourself.
09:44 And last thing, go Knights, go.
09:46 (Applause.)
09:53 (The jersey is presented.)
10:00 (Applause.)
10:28 >> The President: I don't know.
10:30 (Laughter.)
10:32 I'll tell you what, this thing weighs about 800 pounds.
10:35 (Laughter.)
10:36 What a great, great honor.
10:38 This is really something else.
10:40 Thank you, thank you, thank you.
10:42 Let me turn it this way. I don't want to hit you in the head.
10:44 (Laughter.)
10:47 Oh, wow. What a great, great gift.
10:50 Thank you very much.
10:52 You make me feel like all my grandkids.
10:54 (Laughter.)
10:55 I kid, and I'm not.
10:57 By the way, if you're familiar with this stick,
10:59 I don't want to turn it on.
11:01 Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you.
11:03 (Applause.)
11:15 That's half a joke.
11:17 (Laughter.)
11:26 Oh, no, you're not.
11:28 (Laughter.)
11:31 All right, one more photo.
11:33 (The jersey is presented.)
11:42 Okay, you got it?
11:44 (The jersey is presented.)
11:50 Can you do me a favor?
11:52 (The jersey is presented.)
11:57 (Applause.)
12:10 The senator.
12:12 (The jersey is presented.)
12:23 (Applause.)
12:36 (Applause.)
12:44 Mr. President, Mr. President,
12:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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