[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 26 (Monday, July 2, 2001)]
[Pages 968-969]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring the 2001 NCAA Women's Hockey Champion University of 
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

June 25, 2001

    Please be seated. Well, thank you very much. Welcome to the White 
House.

[[Page 969]]

Kathryn, thank you for coming and bringing this group of champs with 
you. It's good to welcome the coach, the captain of the team, who I 
understand is the only senior on the team. I'd hate to be the opposition 
for the University of Minnesota Duluth next year. [Laughter]
    It is my honor to welcome to the White House the Senators from the 
State of Minnesota: Senator Wellstone, welcome; and Senator Mark 
Dayton--many of you don't know this, that he was a fine goalie when he 
played at Yale University. I know because I witnessed him in the nets. 
However, having seen some of the replays of the champions' games, Mark, 
I'm afraid you couldn't have stopped many of the shots coming from these 
champs. [Laughter]
    It's good to have the Members of the United States Congress here, 
too: Jim Oberstar, thank you for coming; and Jim Ramstad, thank you, 
sir. I appreciate you all being here.
    It is my honor to welcome the first-ever team from the University of 
Minnesota Duluth to the White House. The mighty Bulldogs accomplished an 
extraordinary feat by winning the first NCAA women hockey championship 
in only the second season of their existence. That's pretty darn good.
    What makes this team special is its international character. Players 
from Europe, Canada, and the United States all worked together to become 
champs. As Coach Miller said, it took a perfect mix of players from all 
over to win the title. But I know something about sports; it also takes 
a great coach to win a title, too, and this team has got an 
extraordinary coach. She's had great success with the Canadian national 
team, before our great Nation borrowed her to lead the Bulldogs. 
[Laughter] Her name is associated with a spectacular rise in women's 
hockey. And she served as a role model for all the champs.
    Coach Miller, congratulations.
    I want to thank some of the girls from the Washington, DC, area who 
are here, as well. I see members of the Best Friends, Brownies, and Girl 
Scouts. Thank you for coming. It reminds me of what a true champ is. A 
champ is somebody who wins not only in the ice but who, when off the 
ice, sets a good example for youngsters to follow. What champs do is, 
they set high standards, and they work hard, and they make the right 
choices to achieve those standards and goals. And that's exactly what 
the University of Minnesota Duluth did. You set the highest of 
standards.
    I know you worked hard. I bet you made sure they worked hard. 
[Laughter] Your team made the right choices off the ice, and that's why 
they're champs. And so I want to congratulate you all for setting the 
right example.
    For those of you who aren't from the United States, hang around; 
it's a pretty special place. [Laughter] But we welcome you here. We 
welcome you to the greatest house in our country, the people's house, 
and congratulate you from the bottom of our hearts.
    Congratulations.

Note: The President spoke at 4:45 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Kathryn A. Martin, chancellor, 
Shannon Miller, women's hockey coach, and Brittny Ralph, women's hockey 
team captain, University of Minnesota Duluth.