    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [February 2, 2007]
    [Pages 92-94]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Honoring the 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes
    February 2, 2007

        The President. Thank you all for coming. Have a seat. It's a pretty
    big deal for a guy that doesn't know how to ice skate--[laughter]--to
    welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to the White House. We appreciate you
    coming. You know, I'm not sure what is prettier, the Stanley Cup or Mike
    Commodore's hair. [Laughter] A little
    disappointed you got a haircut--[laughter]--but, welcome.
        Mike Commodore. Thank you.
        The President. The other thing, I was a little surprised to see that
    he's not wearing his robe. [Laughter]
        At the start of this season, this team was ranked 28th out of 30
    teams. I like to be around people that keep expectations low. [Laughter]
    Instead of listening to the prognosticators, this team had a 112-point
    season. They had 52 wins. They win the Stanley Cup. They're here at the
    White House. Congratulations to you.
        I congratulate the owners, Peter Karmanos and his son, Jason. I'm sorry
    that Peter is not here. I understand he had an operation, and we send
    very best wishes. I thank Jim Rutherford, the
    president and general manager of the team. The guy has got a lot of--
    he's a pretty aggressive guy. I just met him, and he said: ``I saw
    Barney outside. You're feeding him too much.'' [Laughter] Probably
    right. [Laughter]
        I welcome the captain of this team, Rod Brind'Amour, and the players. I welcome their families. If your
    families are here, I want to thank you very much for enduring a long
    season. It's pretty hard to be married to a hockey player that's on the
    road a lot. But I know that you bring inspiration to the players. I
    appreciate the coach. Peter, you've done a
    heck of a good job. It's not easy to be a coach of a successful team,
    and I appreciate the spirit that you brought to this club. Mr.
    Commissioner,

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    thank you for coming. I'm proud that you're here. I really thank you for
    taking time--you and Bill taking time out of
    your day to be here--and Bernadette Mansur, who is with us as well.
        I want to thank all the people associated with this club. I
    particularly want to pay tribute to the equipment managers and the
    locker room people. Players get all the credit and all the glory, but
    they would tell you firsthand, they wouldn't be able to skate every day
    if somebody wasn't there making sure that the uniforms were ready and
    doing all the hard work. The games end late; these folks are toiling
    long into the night preparing for the next day's practice. And so we
    welcome not only the players and the management and the coaches and the
    families, but all those who make a successful franchise run. We're
    really glad you're here at the White House.
        You got a lot of fans here in Washington, DC. I know you got a lot
    of fans in Carolina, but you've got two United States Senators
    who've come to greet you: Senator Dole and Senator Burr. Thank you for
    coming. And Congressman Howard Coble, what's
    that hat say? That's a championship hat?
        Representative Howard Coble. Championship
    hat.
        The President. Fine looking lid, isn't it? [Laughter] I thought you
    might be wearing that to cover up your bald head. [Laughter] Yes.
    [Laughter] Now you know what I'm talking about. [Laughter]
        I appreciate very much the rest of the National Hockey League
    personnel who've joined us. I want to welcome the young hockey teams
    that are here, the local youth teams----
        Participant. Virginia State teams----
        The President. ----Virginia State teams. Good. Well, we're glad
    you're here. Thanks for coming to see what champs look like. [Laughter]
    And so the idea is to skate hard, work hard, and make the right choices,
    and someday, you'll be standing up here at the White House. I'm probably
    not going to be here. [Laughter]
        A lot of Americans don't know this, but the Stanley Cup is the
    oldest trophy in professional sports. It's also one of the toughest
    trophies to win. Listen to this: It takes 4 rounds in the playoffs, 16
    wins, before an NHL player can skate with the Stanley Cup.
        It's unique in another way. It is the only professional sports
    trophy that every player on the championship team gets to take home for
    a day, and this cup has had some amazing experiences. [Laughter]
        It's been to the top of Mount Elbert in Colorado. It has taken a
    roller coaster ride at Universal Studios. [Laughter] It's been used as
    baptismal font, a popcorn holder--[laughter]--a feed trough for a winner
    of the Kentucky Derby. Players have tested its buoyancy by throwing it
    into pools and lakes--it does not float. [Laughter] The cup--this may be
    hard for you to believe--but it has been to a lot of bars. [Laughter] In
    case you're wondering, it holds 14 cans of beer. [Laughter]
        Hurricane players took the cup on many adventures. It went to
    Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, the Czech Republic, of course Canada and the
    United States.
        Goalie Cam Ward took the cup home to Canada,
    and he ate some corn-pops out of it. [Laughter] And then he took it to
    visit his grandmother and the other residents at
    the seniors home where she lives. He used the cup to bring some joy in
    people's lives.
        Other players did the same thing. Several players took the cup to
    children's hospitals in their hometowns. A captain of the
    team brought the cup to a charity golf
    tournament, where he helped raise $112,000 for the fight against cystic
    fibrosis. Defenseman Glen Wesley took the cup to
    the Wounded Warriors Barracks at Camp Lejeune. Here's what he says:
    ``What better way to thank the troops who fight for our country and
    defend our freedoms.'' And I appreciate you doing that, Glen.

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        A lot of people inspired the Carolina Hurricanes on their way to
    victory, but none more than a young girl named Julia Rowe. Julia lives just down the street from the
    coach; they're buddies. As the playoffs
    approached, she learned that she had suffered a relapse of childhood
    leukemia and would have to undergo intensive chemotherapy and a bone
    marrow transplant. Inspired by Julia's fight, these tough guys launched
    a campaign to raise money and awareness for the fight against leukemia.
        Julia followed every moment of the Stanley
    Cup finals from her bed in Duke University. She got to join the team on
    the victory parade. The coach reports that
    today she's back home and doing well. She's incredibly proud of her
    friends who won the Stanley Cup.
        What I'm telling you is, this group of men, they're a class act.
    They're obviously great athletes--all you got to do is look at their
    noses to know that they're willing to--[laughter]. Appreciate you
    putting your false teeth in. [Laughter] But more important to me is the
    fact that they got good hearts, and they bring class to their
    profession. They set an example for young folks who watch them perform
    on the ice.
        One of the interesting things about this team is, they have a--
    they've got a sign in their locker room that says: It's not about me;
    it's about the guy in front of me. And one reason they're here is
    because they understand that when you serve something greater than
    yourself--the team or your community--you become a true champ.
        And so on behalf of the White House people, we welcome you.
    Congratulations to true champs. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:13 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Mike Commodore, defenseman, Jason
    Karmanos, vice president and assistant general manager, and Peter
    Laviolette, head coach, Carolina Hurricanes; and Gary B. Bettman,
    commissioner, Bill Daly, deputy commissioner, and Bernadette Mansur,
    senior vice president of communications, National Hockey League.