The White House visit for defending champions is a long-standing tradition for teams in different sports, including the NHL, but the Los Angeles Kings are adding a new twist this season.

They’ll still visit the White House, but there are also tentative plans to take the Stanley Cup to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where there’s an avid hockey fan in Prime Minister Stephen Harper to welcome them.

It’s believed the Kings are planning a Dec. 10 visit; they play the Senators in Ottawa the following night.

A U.S. team visiting Parliament Hill? Why not, when you consider just how Canadian that Kings roster is? In many ways, the Kings are more Canadian than some of the Canadian NHL teams.

Their Game 5 Cup-winning roster in June featured 12 Canadian-born players, including Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter, Jarret Stoll, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, Jake Muzzin and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams.

While general manager Dean Lombardi is American, his affinity for Canadian-born players is well documented. It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if he was behind this idea -- which is a great one, by the way.