President Donald Trump honored the Penguins at the White House Tuesday in a ceremony to commemorate Pittsburgh's second consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

Trump applauded the "true champions and incredible patriots" during the event, saying the Penguins "embody the values of dedication, discipline and hard work" while also saluting their "incredible, loyal fans" as the "real MVPs."

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby told The Associated Press on Monday that "there's absolutely no politics involved" in their visit.

"Hopefully, it stays that way," Crosby said. "It's a visit we've done in the past. It's been a good experience. It's not about politics, that's for sure."

The team has said since issuing a Sept. 24 statement accepting Trump's invitation that its respect for the "Office of the President" and the "long tradition" of championship teams visiting the White House is a custom it intends to continue.

"Any agreement or disagreement with a president's politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways," the release read. "However, we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit."

Last month, it was announced that Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto would skip the appearance at the White House, and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald joined Peduto in taking a knee for the team's visit. Both Peduto and Fitzgerald were with the Penguins for their visit celebrating their 2016 Stanley Cup championship last October, when Barack Obama was in the Oval Office.

Trump has been under fire in recent weeks after tweeting that NFL players who kneel should be "fired" and rescinding his invitation to the NBA champion Warriors to visit the White House after Stephen Curry expressed his hesitation regarding the team's trip.

Vice President Mike Pence also caused a stir on Sunday when he left the Colts' home game against the 49ers early because players protested during the national anthem, tweeting that he would "not dignify any event that disrespects" the flag.