Smith-Pelly says he'll still love Ovi, other Caps if they go to White House

Devante Smith-Pelly hasn't changed his mind about forgoing a potential White House invite. But he won't hold it against Alex Ovechkin or any of his Washington Capitals teammates if they head to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to visit President Donald Trump after winning the Stanley Cup.

“I said what I said and that is what I believe,” Smith-Pelly told reporters, including Samantha Pell of The Washington Post, on Wednesday, reiterating what he said to Postmedia's Michael Traikos last week.

“Again, I haven’t thought about it any more than that," Smith-Pelly continued. "I stand by what I said … They can do whatever they want, you know what I mean. When I said what I said, no one in the room said, ‘Hey, maybe you should do this or maybe you should do that.’ Everyone can do whatever they want. I will still love Ovi if he goes and the other guys if they go.”

Ovechkin said Wednesday he's looking forward to a possible celebration at the White House, adding that he "can't wait" and hasn't been there other than taking pictures around it.

"It will be fun," the captain added.

Other Capitals, such as Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Tom Wilson, Lars Eller, and Jay Beagle, expressed an interest in going, while head coach Barry Trotz said no decision has been made, though he sees visiting the White House as a valued sports tradition.

"Whatever the group decides, we will do it," Trotz said. "I don’t know if it will be a full group, a half group, or no group, I have no idea."

Smith-Pelly, a Canadian who is black, told Traikos last Wednesday that "the things that (Trump) spews are straight-up racist and sexist," and he definitely doesn't agree with the president's rhetoric.

Trump has yet to formally invite the Capitals. Last Monday, he canceled the Philadelphia Eagles' visit. During the NBA Finals, both LeBron James and Stephen Curry said their teams wouldn't go if invited, and the president responded by saying they wouldn't be welcome anyway.