With the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions in town on Monday afternoon, President Obama got in the true hockey spirit, participating in some chirping targeted at the man who backstopped the Hawks to victory.
The Chicago Blackhawks visited the White House for the second time in four years to be honored for their championship run, and the President, an acknowledged Chicago sports fan, reflected on the iconic moments that led to his team’s win over Boston. And one defining moment after they hoisted the Cup — Corey Crawford’s R-rated speech at the victory parade.
After praising Jonathan Toews for his leadership, Andrew Shaw for his grittiness and Dave Bolland and Bryan Bickell for their timeliness, scoring goals within 17 seconds of one another to clinch the Stanley Cup, Obama made a nice little wisecrack at the expense of Chicago’s goaltender, earning him some big laughs from Crawford’s teammates.
“Speaking of Grant Park, we were originally going to let Corey Crawford say a few words today but … we thought we’d keep this event family-friendly,” Obama joked. “You guys have been hanging out with [Chicago Mayor] Rahm Emanuel too much!”
Crawford’s profanity-filled speech during the Hawks’ championship rally was far and away the highlight of the parade, and the typically soft-spoken goaltender won’t be living that moment down anytime soon, and his teammates are going to make sure of that.
“We were laughing about that,” Patrick Kane told the Chicago Sun Times’ Mark Lazerus after the ceremony. “That joke never seems to get old. Always kind of gets a rise out of Crow, so it was pretty funny.”
Check out the moment that had “everyone in stitches,” according to Toews, and the entirety of Obama’s speech below.
