WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama saluted the NHL's Boston Bruins for their 2011 Stanley Cup championship on Monday, but the celebration hit a sour note when one key member of the team skipped the White House visit in protest. "I believe the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people," Goalie Tim Thomas said in a statement. The decision to stay away, Thomas said, "was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country."