Obama hits Trudeau with hockey trash talk: ‘Where’s the Stanley Cup right now?’

President Obama on Thursday engaged in some hockey trash talk with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
{mosads}Welcoming Trudeau to the White House for an official state visit, Obama did not let his Canadian counterpart forget about his country’s 23-year Stanley Cup drought.
“There are some things we will probably never agree on. Whose beer is better, who’s better at hockey,” Obama said.
Standing beside Obama, Trudeau shook his head, waved his finger and said, “Don’t get me started.”
“Where’s the Stanley Cup right now?” Obama asked. “I’m sorry, is it in my hometown with the Chicago Blackhawks? In case you Canadians were wondering, where is it?”
The Blackhawks won the NHL championship in 2015, their third title in the past six years. The last Canadian team to win the trophy was the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.
Trudeau, however, was quick to remind Obama that three of the best players from the Blackhawks title team hail from up north.
“Speaking of exports, we know with certainty there is a high demand for Canadian goods down here,” the prime minister said. “A few that come to mind that President Obama just rightly recognized as being extraordinary contributors to the American success story: Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks.”
The current Blackhawks roster contains nine Canadian players, compared to three Americans.
While Obama’s jab may have cut at the heart of many Canadians, it was a sign of the president’s affection toward Trudeau. Many have likened the prime minister to a Canadian version of Obama, who stormed onto the political scene as a young, fresh face a decade ago.
Obama is hosting Trudeau for Canada’s first official state visit in 19 years. The last Canadian leader to receive the red-carpet treatment at the White House was Jean Chrétien in 1997.
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