After battling through waves of adversity en route to capturing the 2018 Stanley Cup followed by very little turnover to the roster this season, the Capitals are about as close-knit as a team can be.
A scheduled visit to the White House on Monday to celebrate the franchise’s first championship has suddenly put some teammates on opposite sides of each other on the issue of whether to attend.
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Braden Holtby became the second Capitals player to announce that he will not attend Monday’s event, saying following Friday’s morning skate that, “I’ve got to stay true to my values and I’m going to respectfully decline the offer.”
The goaltender will join Brett Connolly, who earlier this week said he will not attend the event to support former teammate Devante Smith-Pelly, who has been critical of President Donald Trump.
While their views on whether to meet with Trump in the Oval Office may differ, the Capitals are vowing that it won’t affect the bond the group shares or become a distraction as the team gets set to embark on its defense of the Cup.
“We’re such a close group of guys that I lose no respect for ‘Holts’ not going and I can’t imagine him losing any respect for me for going,” said T.J. Oshie, who was born in Washington state and grew up in Minnesota. “We’re so close and we have such a close bond and throughout the whole team that would never come between us.”
Oshie joined many of the high-profile Capitals players in saying he will attend the event, including Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson and Tom Wilson, among others. As of now, Connolly and Holtby — and likely Smith-Pelly, who is currently playing for AHL Hershey — are the only Capitals players from the ’18 team who have said they won’t attend.
“It’s everyone’s choice,” Oshie said. “Me personally, I’ll be going. As an American you grow up learning about the White House and the history, it’s a dream come true for me to go. To be in the White House … I think it’s just a real cool opportunity for me. I’m not out to make a statement politically one way or another.
“I respect ‘Holts’ and the guys that don’t want to go but I’m excited to do it.”
Said Carlson, who was born in Natick, Mass.: “I’m obviously going to go. It’s an experience that I want to be a part of and see through. (It’s) something that you dream about, getting honored as the champions, and something that we worked really hard for. That’s what I’m thinking.
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“But everyone can make assumptions or decisions on their own. We support each other in the room and past that, it doesn’t really matter.”
Holtby, who is from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, is one of the more out-spoken Capitals players, including with his support of the LGBTQ community. Holtby said the decision to skip the event was not a difficult one.
“It’s a tough situation for everyone to be in, to be forced to make a decision of that standing,” Holtby said. “You’re a team and you want to stick together no matter what, so I hope everyone kind of blows it away and that we don’t worry about who goes and who doesn’t. For me, it’s just a personal thing. I believe in what I believe in, and in order to stick to those values, I think I have to do what I feel is right. But that doesn’t make a difference on everyone else’s decision. We stick by every single teammate we have and their decision.”
Since Trump has been in office, controversy has surrounded the traditional visits of championship teams to the White House. After winning the NBA title in 2017, the Golden State Warriors were disinvited by Trump after several players said they were reluctant to make the visit.
The 2018 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles were set to visit the White House but the event was canceled by Trump after some players indicated they would skip it. The Pittsburgh Penguins, winners of the Cup in 2016 and ’17, visited the White House following each title.
“Once the first team doesn’t go it puts the onus on every other player in professional sports to be forced into making a decision, if you’re political or not,” Holtby said. “That’s why I think our team, we’re trying to take the most professional way we can with the every player has a right to choose and stand by each and every one of us regardless of what you decide.
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Obviously, I’ve been a little more out-spoken on my views than everyone else so I feel like it’s important for me to stand by that. But in the long run it’s not going to affect our team at all. We’re a close-knit group in here and those things don’t affect us as a team.”
Holtby addressed the media following the morning skate and said the decision not to go to the White House went beyond hockey for him but he doesn’t believe it will promote much change.
“In the end, I never really came up with a situation where I’d feel comfortable going,” Holtby said. “Sometimes you’re forced into situations where you have to stick by what you believe. But in the end, I think there’s more important things I can do in the future. Trying to make a stand this way, I don’t think it does the most in terms of creating change. In the future, I just want to stick by what I believe in and trying to push towards a world where people are created equal.
“My family and myself, we believe in a world where humans are treated with respect regardless of your stature, what you’re born into,” Holtby continued. “You’re asked to choose what side you’re on, and I think it’s pretty clear what side I’m on. I believe that this is the right decision for myself and my family.
“The more important thing is we’re just gearing up for a playoff run, and that’s not going to team unity. It’s just another thing that that’s going to be exciting, especially for the American guys, because there’s more to it than politics and that. For a lot of guys, there’s a lot of history and pride they take in their nation and it’s one of those really cool things that’s been a thing for a long time. So that’s why I think we really respect either way if you choose to go or not. I hope they have a good experience there and then we can get back to hockey.”
(Photo: Eric Hartline / USA Today)