 U.S. President Joe Biden has welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to the White House to celebrate the National Hockey League team's back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. He and his fellow Democrat battled with the Republican governor running the team's home state of Florida. Now, Monday's visit was the Tampa Bay team's first-ever visit to the White House to celebrate a Stanley Cup championship win. The team was unable to visit the White House earlier to celebrate their 2020 and 2021 wins due to COVID-19 concerns. Now, the team's 2004 victory, the Lightning's first-ever Stanley Cup win, was not celebrated by then-President George W. Bush amid an NHL Labour dispute. The Lightning's victories in 2020 and 2021 made the team only took for a back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in the last quarter of the century. In 2020, your fans watched you win from thousands of miles away as you competed in the bubble in Edmonton due to the pandemic. But this past season, you got to deliver something truly special, hosting the Cup on your home ice in front of the Tampa Faithful. And don't underestimate what that feeling meant to so many fans, especially kids, and lifelong memories you created for countless families. Folks, the victory capped off an incredible run by one of the most well-rounded teams in recent memory. And last year, your home arena also became a lifeline for families in Tampa. The first lady, I am Jill's husband, came down with Dr. Fauci during the Stanley Cup semifinals. To encourage hockey fans to get vaccinated at your arena through a program called Shots on Ice, helping save lives, helping bring us back to our lives and loved ones, and helping the country and our economy go from being on the mend to on the move.