President Barack Obama will honor the 2015 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks at the White House in a special ceremony Feb. 18, the team announced Thursday.
It will the third time Obama will welcome his hometown team to the White House. Obama was presented with a Blackhawks sweater with a number 13 on the back – a reference to the 2013 Stanley Cup win during the 2013 visit. Both previous meetings have been held in the East Room.
It will likely be the first appearance to the White House for Russians Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin, who seem poised to make a return trip with the Hawks in the future.
The trip to Washington, D.C. will go on the heels of the Hawks’ visit to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers. The Hawks’ next game won’t be until Feb. 21 in Minnesota against the Wild at TCF Bank Stadium for the 2016 Stadium Series.