Stanley Cup Champion Penguins Visit President Obama at the White House

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are set to begin their title defense next week when the new NHL season gets underway. First, they made a stop at the White House Thursday to celebrate their championship with President Barack Obama. 

Pittsburgh edged the San Jose Sharks in six games to win the franchise's fourth title back in June. While there were still some members from the team's 2009 triumph on the roster, including superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, many were visiting the White House for the first time.

Rich Walsh of CBS Pittsburgh passed along comments from Patric Hornqvist about the chance to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a day.

"It's a unique opportunity we have to be a part of that," Hornqvist said. "There's not many guys who can say they've been in the White House, so I'm excited for that."

Before meeting with the president, the Penguins toured the famous home and snapped some pictures around the executive mansion.

The NHL passed along one of the several group shots on Instagram:

The Penguins provided a look a look at the entire team along with hockey's holy grail during a prep session before the president's arrival:

Phil Kessel took some time to hang out with Malkin and Carl Hagelin:

One thing is for sure: Taking pictures with the Cup never gets old, as Malkin illustrated:

He immediately joked about Kessel, who endured a tumultuous six-year stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining Pittsburgh, capturing the Cup:

Obama also commented on how the Pens' title provided the perfect finish to his visits from NHL champions since they were also the first to meet with him in 2009.

He did laugh about how much things have changed since then, per David Johnson of WPXI:

Obama then took some time to rattle off Crosby's long list of achievements since they last met, including numerous team and individual honors with both the Penguins and the Canadian national team.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relayed the center's appreciation:

Mark Knoller of CBS News pointed out the Penguins wrapped up the proceedings by giving the president a jersey with the No. 44 and a small replica of the Stanley Cup:

Kyle Dawson of MSA Sports shared one final look at the entire contingent along with the president and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman:

Looking ahead, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Penguins end up making another trip to the White House about 12 months from now. Odds Shark noted they are one of just three teams with title odds of better than 10-1 heading into the season, along with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals.

Crosby, Malkin and Co. are scheduled to start the campaign with a rivalry clash against Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps next Thursday when they raise a new championship banner inside PPG Paints Arena.