L.A. Kings and L.A. Galaxy Celebrate Championship Seasons at the White House

President Barack Obama tosses a soccer ball as he welcomes the National Hockey League Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, left, and the Major League Soccer champion LA Galaxy to the White House to honor their 2012 championship seasons in a ceremony in the East Room, March 26, 2013 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Colleen Curtis
The White House Blog

Two of Southern California's finest sports teams joined President Obama in the East Room to celebrate their championship seasons. The LA Galaxy was here for the second year in a row, as they repeated their dominance of the Major League Soccer in the 2012 season. The LA Kings, meanwhile, made their first visit to the White House after winning their first Stanley Cup.

And as President Obama pointed out, these teams share more than a hometown.

In 2012, they also shared "a pretty good comeback story." The President was referring to the Galaxy's injury plagued season, which culminated in a championship game they won after tying the score at the 60-minute mark. The King's triumph seemed even more improbable as they were the first hockey team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after entering the playoffs as an eight seed.

President Barack Obama welcomes the National Hockey League Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, left, and the Major League Soccer champion LA Galaxy to the White House to honor their 2012 championship seasons in a ceremony in the East Room, March 26, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Impressive as the teams efforts were on the field and on the ice, President Obama highlighted their equally important contributions in the LA community:

We also found out that both these teams are full of some pretty stand-up players and coaches. They’re out in the community year-round. They’re changing lives, they’re making a difference. As Coach Arena of the Galaxy says, “The soccer is very much secondary. If we can have an impact on the lives of young kids, we want to be a part of that.”
And that’s something we all appreciate, especially those of us who are parents. And we are thrilled that you guys are sticking around to host a Let’s Move question-and-answer session with kids from all across the country.
So I want to give a hearty congratulations to both the Kings and the Galaxy one more time for bringing two championships to L.A. and for doing so much for your fans back in California.