Sidney Crosby would probably rather analyze his latest trip to the grocery store than talk politics.
It's possible Penguins coach Mike Sullivan would divulge his social security number before his views on President Donald Trump _ other than to say that he respects the White House.
It's not because they don't care. They do. And surely they have thoughts and opinions that are filled with passion and have been formulated over time.
It's just that, around an NHL team, these things are never, ever made public. Even off-the-record conversations with players are more likely to involve vacuuming than politics.
"I'm not sure I have the answer for you," Sullivan said Monday following practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex when asked why hockey teams rarely wade into political waters.
"One thing I will say is that I've talked more politics in the last three weeks around a hockey rink than I ever have in a lifetime. It's just not something that really gets discussed at the rinks."
It's talked about plenty outside of them, of course, never more than now. On NBA courts. On NFL sidelines. Coaches going on lengthy rants. Athletes demonstrating. Trump tweeting. Vice President Mike Pence heading home early when players kneel. On and on it goes.
There's plenty of frustration on both sides and not much aversion to discussing it. Except, of course, around hockey rinks.
Against their will, the Penguins have been heaved into the deep end of the pool, too. Everyone will go, Sullivan confirmed, but this has turned into the one scenario under him where the Penguins cannot win.
They'd like nothing more than for Tuesday's visit to be a sweet and cuddly commemoration of their second consecutive Stanley Cup _ as Sullivan put it, the "last celebration" and "culmination" of all they've accomplished.
Too bad nobody seems to want to let them do that.
Going to the White House comes off as an endorsement of Trump. Those who disagree say they're getting used as a political pawn and losing out on a very important opportunity to make a statement.
Meanwhile, staying home would've been interpreted as a rebuke. Everybody else has done it. Do they think they're special? This is the president we're talking about here.
The result: A bunch of really awkward conversations involving politics with a group of professional athletes who've never, ever been asked about stuff like this in a public setting, the kicker being the expectation that, as a hockey player, you don't rock the boat and say something incendiary.
"I can't speak for everyone else, but I just grew up under the assumption that it wasn't something really brought into sports," captain Sidney Crosby said of mixing pucks and politics. "Everyone's kind of got their own view, but that's how I grew up playing hockey; I wasn't really surrounded by that.
"I didn't have any examples to go off of from that. I kind of understood it to stay out it."
Since releasing a statement on Sept. 24 that reaffirmed their plans to go to the White House _ responding to a slew of media inquiries after Trump rescinded the Golden State Warriors' invitation _ the questions have come. So, too, has the criticism.
When asked, the Penguins' answers haven't wavered. They've backed the statement and offered little else, everyone hoping this can soon go away, their jaws clenched pretty much the entire time.
"As I've said all along here, for us, this is not political," Sullivan said. "The choice to accept the invitation by our organization to go to the White House is not political. Nobody's taking a side."
Asked for his opinion, Matt Murray cited that statement. He didn't care to say much else, did so with a smile and a fairly standard player answer when asked about going to the White House in this political climate.
"What needed to be said has been said with the team statement, and I just echo that," Murray said. "For sure it's an honor for us to be invited. We respect the institution. Everybody has their right to protest or do whatever they feel they need to do. That's where I'll leave it."
Phil Kessel went with humor, his best weapon in situations like these.
"I don't know if I'll ever get to go back," Kessel said in reference to a question about his own failed presidential candidacy. "It should be good."
Carl Hagelin tried to stay in the moment, insisting he's not thinking about Tuesday until ... well, Tuesday.
"I'm not even thinking about it right now, to be honest," Hagelin said. "It's one of those things, when we're there, we're there, and right now I don't think about it."
Besides the blandness, the length of answers should tell you all you need to know.
Asked about making adjustments between games, Sullivan riffed for 232 words. On whether he felt his team was getting dragged into a political firestorm? Sullivan used 34, which is 33 more than he would've liked to.
To be fair, there is one perfectly understandable reason for this disdain.
NHL teams are more international than any of the other major North American pro sports. By a long shot.
Consider, the Penguins are one of the most American teams in the NHL _ they've used 15 American-born players each of the past two seasons, tying the all-time record _ but 14 of the 20 players they're expected to dress Wednesday against the Capitals weren't born in the United States.
That leads to an uncomfortable discussion about what's going on in another country. Hockey is also high on humility, and many of these guys don't feel like it's their business to comment on what the U.S. is doing.
Third, falling in line is as much a part of hockey as faceoffs. So when the organization, from the tip-top, says we're going. Guess what? You're going. Politics can wait.
"From my side of things, there's absolutely no politics involved," Crosby said. "Hopefully it stays that way. It's a visit that we've done in the past. It's been a good experience. It's not about politics, that's for sure."
It never is when you're talking about the NHL.
"We come to the rink because we love to play hockey," Sullivan said. "We want to play hockey. We want to compete. We're all here because we have a common goal. We're trying to attain that common goal. Our focus and energy has to be directed there if we're going to have success because this is a competitive league, and it's hard to win. That's what it requires to win in this league."
