Phil Kessel

President Obama cracks Phil Kessel joke during Penguins' visit to White House

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:42 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Pittsburgh Penguins will open up a new season next week and attempt to defend their throne as Stanley Cup winners but, for now, they get to enjoy the fruits of last season's championship.

That includes visiting the White House and meeting with the President of the United States, which the team did on Thursday afternoon. Barack Obama was a gracious host and...hey look, it seems that he's a Phil Kessel fan, just like the rest of us!

Not surprisingly, Obama's opening line of "we are here to celebrate an extraordinary achievement: Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup champion!" drew plenty of applause and smiles from those in attendance.

Kessel has won over plenty of fans in recent years thanks to not only being one of the game's best pure goal-scorers, but also being a lovable and entertaining character both on and off the ice. He also became somewhat of a sympathetic figure thanks to the unfair amount of blame and ridicule he got for the Maple Leafs' struggles during his time in Toronto, which ended with the team trading him to Pittsburgh last summer.

But Phil has had quite the summer after winning the Cup in his first season with the Penguins. Not only has he been taking a victory lap with the Cup, he also managed to destroy USA Hockey in a single tweet. Now, he's been personally shouted out by the president.

It's good to be Phil.

Get more from Phil Kessel Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Phil Kessel

Pittsburgh Penguins

National Hockey League