WASHINGTON - The New Jersey Devils celebrated their title Monday with a White House visit and a chat with President Bush, who kidded them about missing teeth.
In a Rose Garden ceremony, Bush said the Stanley Cup trophy, which was on display nearby, was proof of a team's "athleticism and desire and drive, a couple of cuts here and there, maybe a missed tooth or two."
As if to underscore the point, Bush posed with Colin White, a defenseman whose gap-toothed grin is testament to the rough-and-tumble sport.
Team captain Scott Stevens presented Bush with a red team jersey with "1" and "Bush" on the back. Other than the name, it looked identical to the jersey the team presented in 1995 to then-President Clinton.
When Stevens was asked how a fan would tell the two presidents apart in a hockey game, he replied: "President Clinton's a bigger man. He'd probably be a defenseman, and President Bush would probably be a centerman."
Bush headed back to work after the brief ceremony but stopped at his office door and called out, "You guys want to come in and see the Oval Office? Come on. You want to bring your wives?"
The grateful group of visitors took the president up on the offer.
"He talked about the history of the Oval Office, how they picked their carpet, and which desk he picked," goalie Martin Brodeur said afterward. "Little things that nobody would know, I guess. He gave a little speech about running the country. It was pretty impressive."
MAPLE LEAFS 3, CANADIENS 1: Rookie Matt Stajan had a goal and an assist for host Toronto. Montreal's Tomas Plekanec spoiled Ed Belfour's shutout bid with a goal with two minutes left. Belfour made 24 saves.
BLUE JACKETS: Veteran left wing Benoit Hogue was released from a tryout agreement. He had tried to make the roster after sitting out last season. Hogue, 36, had 222 goals and 321 assists in 863 NHL games with Buffalo, the Islanders, Toronto, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Boston and Washington.
OILERS: Edmonton re-signed forward Ethan Moreau to a four-year contract, but did not reveal financial terms. Moreau tied a career high with 31 points on 14 goals and 17 assists last season.
SABRES: Restricted free-agent forward Miroslav Satan signed a two-year contract. The seven-time 20-goal scorer had sought $5-million a year and the team offered $4.5-million.
