Washington, Sept 30: The Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils were honoured by President Bush at a White House reception. The New Jersey Devils celebrated their latest NHL championship Monday (September 29) with a White House visit and a chat with U.S. President George W. Bush who joked to them about missing teeth. In a Rose Garden ceremony, Bush said the Stanley Cup, which was on display nearby, was proof of a team's "athleticism and desire and drive, a couple of cuts here and there, maybe a missed tooth or two." As if to underscore the point, Bush posed with defenceman Colin White, whose gap-toothed grin is testament to the rough-and-tumble nature of his chosen profession.

Team captain Scott Stevens presented Bush a red team jersey with "1" and "Bush" written on the back. Other than the name, it looked identical to the jersey the team presented in 1995 to then-president Clinton. When Stevens was asked how a fan would tell the two presidents apart in a hockey game, he replied: "President Clinton's a bigger man. He'd probably be a defenceman, and President Bush would probably be a centre man." The Devils earned their third NHL title in nine years by defeating the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, sweeping all four games at home to win the best-of-seven series.


Bureau Report