Matthew Tkachuk gives sneak peek into Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers’ meet-up with Donald Trump at White House

Matthew Tkachuk shared a glimpse of the Florida Panthers’ visit to the White House on Monday. The 2024 Stanley Cup champions were honored by President Donald Trump in a special ceremony. Tkachuk posted several photos on Instagram, including one where he shook hands with Trump.

In another, he stood behind Trump at the Oval Office, next to the Stanley Cup and a custom Panthers jersey. Tkachuk and captain Aleksander Barkov presented Trump with the jersey, which had the number "47" to mark his presidency. They also gave him a framed Panthers jersey and a gold hockey stick.

Matthew Tkachuk shared the post on Wednesday and captioned it:

"Incredible day at the White House 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸"

The Panthers were in Washington to play the Capitals on Tuesday, which the team lost 6-3. Tkachuk said the visit was an incredible experience and a great way to wrap up their championship celebrations.

“It’s incredible,” Tkachuk said. “It’s kind of like that cherry-on-top finish. It’s been an incredible last almost year celebrating it and going through that run and to be here at the White House today and meet the president of the United States and lucky enough to have him honor us is just so cool and something that I honestly never would’ve imagined.

“Now that I’m here, I’m just trying to take it all in. I’m kind of speechless right now and I never am.”

As one of the few American players on the team last season, Matthew Tkachuk spoke on behalf of his teammates. He shared his appreciation for being American and said the team had built strong bonds.

“This is such an incredible day for myself,” Tkachuk said. “You wake up every day really grateful to be an American, so thank you. This team, this group of guys is super special. Everybody sees what we do on the ice, but I've built bonds with these guys I will have for the rest of my life.”

For Matthew Tkachuk, the visit was even more special because he will soon represent Team USA as alternate captain in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. It is scheduled to be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, featuring NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S.

President Trump recognized Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers camp efforts in Stanley Cup

The Florida Panthers won Game 7 with a 2-1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers to secure their first Stanley Cup. The finals series was equally exciting as at one point the Panthers were high on confidence with a 3-0 series score. But they lost the next three games, each with a big margin.

But in Game 7, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky kept the Oilers' offense in check with only one goal and secured the win.

Matthew Tkachuk scored 88 points, including 26 goals and 62 assists, in the regular season. In the postseason, he scored six goals and 16 assists for 22 points, playing a key role in the win.

Trump praised the Panthers for their performance in the Stanley Cup.

“I said, 'Ooh this is going be a tough loss,” Trump said, per NHL. “That would've been bad, but real champions can pull it out. It was a tremendous championship watched by all."

Trump also recognized several key members of the team, including owner Vincent Viola, coach Paul Maurice, Barkov, Tkachuk, Bobrovsky and other players.