Blackhawks Parade and Rally-- Part 9: Up On the Stage

I saw the players signing each others' jerseys on the numbers. For sure a nice keepsake of a special time. Kane said, "That's hockey, baby!" as he gave the belt to goalie Corey Crawford as best player in the playoffs.

Crawford definitely had quite the playoffs. Then, Cory got up and got away with several "F" bombs on live TV. Then Toews went to the podium with the Stanley Cup which has to be the most-handled sports trophy in the world.

I'd like to know how many Hawks fans have handled and touched it since it was won on June 24th and this is just four days later. One definite thing players have to do is hold it up, lower it to their lips and kiss it.

Tradition, Baby!! --RoadDog

Blackhawk Parade and Rally-- Part 8: A Rare Chicago Championship

Now, all festivities are on the stage with a regular sea of red out in front of it. I like the red jerseys best by far. The mayor got up and off before anyone had a chance to boo, but Quinn's, the govs., greeting more than made up for it. Of course, all this for a practically forgotten team as late as six years ago.

Of course, we also know that due to salary cap, a whole lot of the members of the 2010 team were playing elsewhere for the next season. Stan Bowman had the job of rebuilding that team.

When he spoke he said today was his birthday and that it "was the best birthday ever." At which point, the crowd started singing "Happy Birthday."

When it was Coach Quennville's time to speak, the chant was "Q." Letty Sherry said she had waited 49 years for 2010 and now three years for this one and wants them to do it again.

Good Day to be a Hawks Fan. --RoadDog

Blackhawks Parade and Rally-- Part 7

It was kind of strange to see "Star-Spangles Banner" singer Jim Cornelison without his usual tux belting out the song.  And then there was the United Center yelling and cheering during the song by a million plus people.

They had a montage of the 16 games the Hawks won in the playoffs in order to get the Stanley Cup.  Neither Liz or I could remember who the Hawks played first those six weeks ago.  Turns out it was the Minnesota Wild.  Then, that real hard series against Detroit when, at one point the Hawks were down three games to one, but won those last ones.  Then, it was last year's winners, the LA Kings and then the previous Cup winners, the Bruins.

Team owner Rocky Wirtz got up and said he had to give his speech in one minute and 17 seconds, a real magic number around here as in the last game, with the Hawks down 2-1 with just that amount of time remaining, the Hawks scored twice in 17 seconds then held on to win it all.

There was no sitting whatsoever in Grant Park for the whole thing.  Glad I wasn't there as my feet would be hurting, especially after the walk from Union Station there.

Governor Pat Quinn was roundly booed when he said a few words.  Mayor Emmanuel was up and down so fast there wasn't much chance for him to get booed.

Not Through Yet.  --RoadDog


POLICE COMMENTS TO PERPS:  Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second?  Because that's the speed of the bullet chasing you.

Blackhawks Parade and Rally-- Part 6: Stanley and the Others

The Stanley Cup has to be the most touched and handled trophy of any professional sports.  As a matter of fact, most regular folks do not get a chance to even see the NFL, NBA or MLB championship trophies.  Just millionaires and that sort get to see them.

Well, the Stanley Cup is really "The People's Cup."  It tours, it goes places.  Even now, local stations have a "Where Is It Now" segment to tell where the Cup is and where it will be.  Recently, it was in a Chicago suburb with one of the Hawk front office people (they get to take it for a day as well).  He had "donated" it to a church who charged $25 for a chance to have a photograph taken with it for charity.  One guy put his young baby in the cup bowl.  Now, that will be a cherished keepsake.

I also have to say it is probably the ugliest with the base of it being so much bigger than the cup.

As the buses arrived at Grant Park, we got to see trophy row with Der Stanley and four other trophies the Hawks won this year.  One was for winning the Western Conference, another for the Campbell and the Con Smyth.

One guy interviewed said this was his 8th championship rally that he'd been to: 5 for the Bulls, two for the Hawks and one for the Sox.

Goalie Ralph Emory shoukld do well in free agency since the Hawks were 17-1 in games where he tended the net.  Sorry that he will be leaving as he is a really good goalie, but I'm sure he wants to be the number one goalie, something that wil not be happening with the Blackhawks.

Chelsea Dagger.  --RoadDog

POLICE COMMENTS TO PERPS:  If you run, you will only go to jail tired.

Blackhawks Parade and Rally-- Part 5: Dumb Hats and the Stanley Cup

A real neat thuing was seeing such Blackhawk legends as Bobby Hull. Stan Mikita, Dennis Savard and Tony Esposito riding on those buses.

Watching some of the Hawk players getting off the buses, I'd have to say some of them did not know where the bill of their hat should go, but, at least the bills were curved, none of those flat bills like the young folk like to wear now.  I don't like those flat bills at all.  At one time, the curved ones had gone too far and were practically touching each side, they were that curved.  As dumb as that looked, it was nothing like the dumbness shown by the flat bills, especially when they are worn backwards or sideways.  At least the Hawk caps were curved.

Then, the announcers talked about the beating the Stanley Cup takes as it travels the whole world going to the hometowns of the Stanley Cup winners, which, as if you didn't know, would be the Hawks this year.  I call the Stanley Cup the "People's Cup."  The NBA, NFL and MLB championship trophies are essentially the "Millionaires Trophies."  Essentially, if you don't have a million dollars or are connected to the owners, you're not going to see them.  The Stanley Cup is the People's Cup.  Lots of non-millionaires and regular folk get to see and touch it.

For That Alone, NHL Is the Best.  --RoadDog


POLICE COMMENTS TO PERPS  Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new.  They'll stretch out after you wear them for awhile. 

Blackhawks Parade and Rally-- Part 2: Even Tommy Hawk!!

A big question, who gets the Cup first? It would be the player with the most games played (and probably game time in a tie-breaker).

An interesting story about the first night of the NHL Lockout when some Hawk players were at the United Center to see the band Rush play. When Hawks owner Rocky Wirttz found out they were there, he asked them to leave. NHL players are not allowed at any NHL facility during a lockout.

Toews was holding the Stanley Cup in the first bus. The mayor of Chicago and state governor were also on buses.

Our governor, Pat Quinn, was also at the Orange Bowl in Miami for the NIU-FSU reception and game. Must be nice to be governor, but a little later, during the speeches, it wasn't so nice.

Mascot Tommy Hawk (get it?) was also in one of the 26 buses for the event.

It's Good to Be a Hawk Fan Right Now. --RoadDog

Blackhawks Parade and Rally-- Part 1: Two Stanley Cups In Four Years

We watched this on Chicago's own WGN TV back on June 28th, a Friday. We even thought about going down for it, but decided not because of all the people, people and more people going down for it. As it turned out, we could have gone to Chicago on the train and seen the parade at some point before it got to Grant Park on Route 66.

The players were on doubledecker busses and sitting 3 or 4 across at the back of each one. A lot of other people were on each one as well: family, friends and other Blackhawk personnel. We sure got to know them through those four different teams they played on the way to the Stanley Cup, and of course. the Stanley Cup was prominent as well as all the other award hardware the team won.

Some people had arrived as early as 4 or 5 in the morning according tio the announcers and they also wondered why all four of Chicago's teams couldn't be like the Hawks. Two Cups in four years.

Well, the Bulls won the NBA Championship six times in eight years in the 1990s (3 straight times and then another three straight) and the Sox won the World Series in 2005. Da Bears in '85 and, well, the Cubs....

A Great Cap to a Great Season. --RoadDog