Ticker-tape Parade Scheduled:
A Blackhawks parade is now scheduled for Friday, June 11 at 10:30 a.m. CDT after the Chicago Blackhawks pulled out a hard fought 4-3 win in overtime over the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday night in the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. The Chicago Blackhawks won game 6 and the series 4-2.
“The ticker-tape parade and a celebratory gathering for the Stanley Cup champions will start at the intersection of Wacker Drive and Washington Street. The parade will then travel east on Washington St. at Michigan Ave., Before heading north on Michigan to Wacker Drive,” according to a statement from the Municipal Office of Emergency Management and Communicationout of Chicago.
The Blackhawks parade will be broadcasted by the local CBS affiliate channel live and nationally on WGN at 10 a.m. ET.
History Made:
The Blackhawks parade will happen as a result of Patrick Kane, the 21-year-old winger, who scored 4 minutes 6 seconds into overtime to give the Chicago Blackhawks their first Cup since 1961. The Blackhawks have lost the last five finals in the Stanley Cup before Kane scored his third goal of the series. The goal came suddenly on a shot from the bottom of the right circle that whizzed under the stick and pads of Flyers goalie Michael Leighton.
The Chicago Blackhawks have now won 4 Stanley Cups (34′, 38′, 61′, 10′). The 49-year drought was the second longest in league history. The Rangers had a string of 54 years without a cup before winning one again in 1994.
The Game:
The Blackhawks parade Friday morning almost wasn’t to be after Philadelphia’s Scott Hartnell scored with 3:59 left for his second goal of the night, sending the game to overtime. Then again in overtime the Flyers had at least four clear chances at the Chicago net before Kane finally scored to also give Chicago the first road winners in the series.
Chicago goalie Antti Niemi stopped 21 of 24 Flyers shots and ended with an .882 series save percentage. He became the first Finnish goalie to lead his team to a Stanley Cup. The Flyers goalie, Leighton ended with 37 saves on 41 shots. His save percentage in the series was .876.
The Flyers Silent Improbable Run:
A Blackhawks parade was more likely to happen then a Flyers one, but it sure would have been incredible if The Flyers pulled off what would have been an epic run. Let’s look at what the Flyers had to do just to get to the Stanley Cup. First, the Flyers had to earn a berth in the playoffs on the last day of the regular season by winning a shootout against the Rangers. Second, the Flyers were seemingly eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals, trailing the Boston Bruins by three games to none, and in game 7 they found themselves down 3-0 in Boston. But the Flyers rallied to become the third N.H.L. team to win a best-of-seven-game series after trailing by 0-3.
Blackhawks Quotes:
The Blackhawks parade Friday will be the culmination of a great season and will enable fans to see fan favorite Jonathan Toews, the Chicago captain, who also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. “This is the best feeling you can ever get playing hockey, and I just can’t believe it’s happening,” according to nytimes.com.
It will be a historic event to see all Chicagoans at the Blackhawks parade on national TV come Friday. I can’t wait to watch it on WGN here in the South.
SOURCES:
http://www.worldreportnow.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Blackhawks
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/sports/hockey/10flyers.html?pagewanted=1&src=me
