Penguins White House visit: Whether to go and what to do

A statement from team president and CEO David Morehouse indicates the Pittsburgh Penguins White House visit in honor of their latest Stanley Cup triumph will go on as normal. In his report, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Dave Molinari noted that Morehouse and owner Ron Burkle are committed despite longtime opposition to the incumbent party.

However, Molinari added, “a Penguins official said no player would be forced to attend.”

This is where the buildup to the presumptive invite for a date to be determined sustains its spot on the hot stove. Unlike past political divides, the policy pledges and behavior in this one leave visible potential for one of those Dino Ciccarelli reflections of disbelief.

But players who are so inclined can preemptively propitiate partisan viewers, especially the ones they risk estranging, by stressing the nonpolitical nature of the visit. While politics is not merely a game, like hockey, this practice does not endorse policies that many consider distressing or conduct many find shocking and unbecoming. Just like exercising the traditional post-playoff series handshake did not entail approving Claude Lemieux’s on-edge style of play in the mid-’90s or that of the Broad Street Bullies two decades prior.

Easier said than done, of course.

As the first back-to-back NHL visitors in nearly two decades, the Penguins could be a compelling measuring pole of how quickly the changes have sunk in. They met with the previous president a week before they began their run to this year’s crown. It was a month before the 2016 election, and was most uneventful compared to prior visits from prior Cup holders.

Politics seeped into the storyline when the 2011 Bruins and 2012 and 2014 Kings had their customary receptions. One taught how not to handle one’s disagreements with the host. The other offered a tossup.

Given how contentious the 2016 election campaign was and how polarizing the victor remains, everyone will swiftly recall the Tim Thomas saga of 2011-12. The Conn Smythe-winning Bruins backstop jutted out through his absence from the White House and his simultaneous presence on Facebook to explain himself. His choice was widely panned as ill-timed, poorly placed and self-centered.

To the north, Sportnet Fan Fuel writer Trevor Smart offered at the time, “It’s one thing to stick up for one’s convictions. It’s another to snub an apolitical honour from the leader of your country because you hold different beliefs.”

Whether he had the Thomas mess in mind or not, Kings bench boss Darryl Sutter took an exponentially evolved approach when he earned his turn. Leading up to the celebration of L.A.’s 2012 title, he had contemplated trying to persuade the president on a binational issue affecting his native Alberta. He ultimately held his tongue, then told the press ahead of his 2014 team’s reception that he would not even think about it this time.

Politics aside, it is hard to defend Thomas’ decision to inflate his likeness and overshadow a unique team function. Desire for civility and convictions aside, it is hard to put oneself in Sutter’s skates. You only get so many chances, if any, to pass your two cents to a head of state in that fashion. But unlike Thomas, you should not risk sullying a ceremony and impelling fans to perceive your employer in a partisan manner.

Still, there is no escaping the lack of precedent for the current climate, administration and all that led to it. A pair of developments from back-to-back midwinter days particularly punctuate the Penguins’ conundrum.

On Feb. 5, the current vice president raised eyebrows when he answered questions from ABC’s George Stephanopoulos regarding LGBTQ policies. His implicit pledges on behalf of the administration contradicted his long and dense track record from previous offices. Residual skepticism from political opponents was self-evident three months later when University of Notre Dame students demonstrably eschewed his commencement address.

Coincidentally, one day after that ABC interview, the Penguins released a write-up reaffirming their alliance with the You Can Play initiative. As the club’s ambassador to the project, three-time Cup-winning core group member Chris Kunitz told Nicole Jelinek of the team’s website, “One of the big key points is that they want to have the respect for one and all. There are communities that need people to be role models for them and stand up for a game that we love.”

Like it or not, there will inevitably be those who hold Kunitz and company accountable for that pledge. Some will do so to the point where they could perceive the Penguins White House visit as softening the club’s commitment.

But in the same interview with Jelinek, Kunitz also said, “We need to include everyone who supports the game. It doesn’t matter if you are a player or manager, so be it. We want people to be included and be able to enjoy it just like everyone else.”

In that vein, those with a different viewpoint on the matter might file the White House occupants under “supporting the game” by virtue of their renewing the tradition of receiving the Stanley Cup champions.

Over the last five months, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has continued most of the customs that are never meant to acquire political connotations. These include traded visits with high-ranking representatives from other countries, and there is naturally no shortage of international flavor on the Penguins roster.

None of those events have come and gone without misgivings over the notion of “normalizing” the Oval Office’s new representation. That does not mean the guests who go through with them are sullied beyond repair.

The personnel and policies at the White House will inevitably change again someday. The convictions of those who visit it never will outside the individual’s control.

For at least this moment, one is better off being a Sutter than a Thomas. And when the campaigning gates reopen in the aftermath, by all means speak out like a Ciccarelli.