The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Sunday they would accept an invitation to the White House to celebrate their Stanley Cup victory despite divisive comments by U.S. President Donald Trump’s towards athletes making a stand for social justice.

The Penguins’ statement seemed to want to exclude hockey from having any kind of say on political matters, even while some NFL players were taking a knee to protest how police treat Black Americans. The NFL players got support from NBA players to the point where the White House withdrew an invitation for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors to visit.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins respect the institution of the Office of the President, and the long tradition of championship teams visiting the White House,” said the Penguins statement. “We attended White House ceremonies after previous championships — touring the historic building and visiting briefly with Presidents George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama — and have accepted an invitation to attend again this year.

“Any agreement or disagreement with a president’s politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways. However, we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit.”

The Penguins found very few supporters on social media for their decision, which seem to fly in the face of the NHL’s recently released Declaration of Principles in which commissioner Gary Bettman speaks of the sport’s commitment to “inclusiveness.”

The second principle speaks of hockey’s role in developing character.

Within an hour of releasing their decision, the Penguins were the second biggest trend in Canada, next to #TakeAKnee in which folks were tweeting about protests in the NFL.

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At around the same time, the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers announced they would not participate at all in the singing of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” choosing instead to remain in their locker rooms.

Hockey has largely stayed out of the protests, partly because of citizenship. The NFL and NBA are manned mostly by Americans while pro hockey has a large percentage of Canadians and Europeans on rosters, who may feel uncomfortable criticizing the country that is hosting them. Also, the large majority of NHL players are white.

The Penguins currently have 17 Americans on their training camp roster of 43.

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U.S. President Donald Trump commented on First Amendment rights as they relate to the NFL protests during the American National Anthem. Trump made the comments upon arriving at the White House on Sept. 25.

One American hockey player, Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets, did enter the fray, siding with protesting athletes while expressing dismay at Trump’s lack of understanding of the First Amendment right to free speech.

“Regardless of how it makes you feel individually, these are literally the principles the US was founded on. Come on, Mr. President,” Wheeler tweeted.

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