Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were in the right place at the right time, partying with the Stanley Cup on Saturday after bumping into Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin at a popular D.C. restaurant.
Many hockey fans aren’t happy about it. As ABC News noted, the president’s daughter and son-in-law were dining at Café Milano for a date night while Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin was celebrating with the Stanley Cup.
The Capitals ended a long drought — both for the team and the city — to bring home a title by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final. It was the first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 20 years for the Washington Capitals, despite the team being consistently among the best in the Eastern Conference since drafting Ovechkin. The franchise had gained a reputation as being unable to get over the hump, so the victory was especially relieving for the team and their fans.
It is tradition for players to party with the Stanley Cup after the final is over and won, usually drinking copious amounts of alcohol out of it. It’s not clear if either Ivanka Trump or Jared Kushner had a chance to drink from the cup, but plenty of hockey fans didn’t like the idea of the controversial couple getting too close to the most prized trophy in sports.
Why are you doing this? From bringing home such an amazing win to tainting it by hanging out with Kremlin Barbie – the epitome of greed, bigotry, nepotism and slave labor? WHY? Terrible, guys.
— Red (@Redpainter1) June 10, 2018
I am just going to pretend I did not just see a photo of Ivanka Trump touching the Stanley Cup.
— Carrie Miles (@carriefrederick) June 10, 2018
This may be the worst thing that ever happened to the #StanleyCup
— Reg Curren (@newsmanbluesman) June 10, 2018
Philip Pritchard, whose job is to safeguard the Stanley Cup and accompany it on trips to visit each player on the winning team during the offseason, posted a picture of Ivanka Trump smiling beside the Stanley Cup.
Hanging out in Georgetown with Ivanka #StanleyCup @NHL @Capitals @HockeyHallFame @IvankaTrump pic.twitter.com/IgSPRCZBTE
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) June 10, 2018
The pictures of Ivanka with the Stanley Cup may have opened some fresh wounds for Washington Capitals fans. Back in April, the first daughter tweeted a photo of her son’s first-ever hockey game, a second-round matchup between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. But as the picture showed, Ivanka didn’t seem to be embracing the team of her new home city. Instead, her young son was holding a Penguins stick and puck while wearing a USA hat. There was no Capitals gear in sight.
Joseph loved going to his first hockey game but was very torn between whether he liked the hockey, Zamboni or popcorn best! #CapsPens #Playoffs pic.twitter.com/6335OLt5HU
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 29, 2018
But D.C. radio station 106.7 The Fan thought it had an explanation for how Ivanka’s son ended up repping the city’s rival team.
“The most likely scenario is that Joe met some member of the Penguins organization (coach, players or staffer), who presented him with the memorabilia. That is an incredible experience for any youngster, regardless of the circumstances. That is what sports should be all about.”
While that may be true, it didn’t seem to ease the sore feelings of hockey fans who didn’t like to see Ivanka Trump so close to the greatest prize in all of sports, the coveted Stanley Cup.