Over 2 Million Blackhawks Fans Celebrate Stanley Cup Victory Downtown
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jun 19, 2015 4:30PM
Downtown Chicago and Soldier Field were a sea of black and red Thursday morning as close to 2 million Blackhawks fans hoisted home-made Stanley Cups, danced to "Chelsea Dagger" and cheered on the parade of Blackhawks players and public officials who made there way through the Loop to Soldier Field.
The parade and rally were marked by their share of emotional high notes, such as the moment 9-year-old C.J. Reif was awarded the championship belt for the Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 (Reif is the son of Clint Reif, the Hawks assistant equipment manager who passed away in December at the age of 34), and low points—like the time a fan decided to jump into the Chicago River to retrieve a Blackhawks cap that had fallen in, and required rescuing from an emergency response crew.
Patrick Kane, who scored the final goal in the clinching 2-0 victory, was the first Blackhawks player to take the stage at the rally, the Tribune reports. He and other players said they were ready to get a fourth Stanley Cup win under their belts:
"What's up, Chicago?" Kane said. "That's three in six years. Pretty good."..."Let's keep this red machine going, baby! ... Thanks, guys," Duncan Keith, MVP of the playoffs, shouted to adoring fans. "Let's keep it going. Four sounds better than three!"
Hawks goalie Corey Crawford uttered an expletive, then said to the fans: "You guys make this unbelievable."
Not everyone was happy in the aftermath of the celebration, which one reporter described as
smelling "as if thousands of Blackhawks fans had vomited in open dumpsters and left them in the middle of the street."
The Tribune also had a breakdown of how this year's rally compared to the rallies in 2013 and 2010. As in 2010, the recognition for "most inappropriate remark" went to Patrick Kane, who five years ago said, "For all the cab drivers out there, I love you," and this year referenced his somewhat juvenile reputation:
"I know you said I've been growing up but watch out for me the next week."