Pittsburgh Penguin Champions

Pittsburgh is getting pretty good at this victory parade stuff.
But then, practice makes perfect.

For the second time this year and the third time in three years,
hundreds of thousands of fans jammed Downtown streets
to honor a championship sports team,this time for
the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

City officials estimated 375,000 fans jammed Downtown streets
and parking garages and hung from the windows of office buildings
along the parade route for a glimpse of the National Hockey League champions. Warm weather combined with the end of the school year
helped to draw the huge throng to the Golden Triangle.
The team didn't disappoint.

From team captain Sidney Crosby and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury
taking turns thrusting the revered Cup overhead,
to Coach Dan Bylsma and players Max Talbot, Bill Guerin,
Hal Gill, Matt Cooke and Eric Godard stepping off their vehicles
to slap hands with the crowd along the Boulevard of the Allies,
this was another chapter in the sports world's
most public victory celebration.

Since the team clinched the championship by
defeating the Detroit Red Wings Friday night,
the cup has made visits with its temporary owners
to team owner Mario Lemieux's swimming pool early Saturday,
East Carson Street on the South Side Saturday night
and PNC Park for Sunday's game with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yesterday, in addition to carrying it along the parade route,
players passed the cup among themselves yet again
on the Stanwix Street stage and filled it with champagne
that was served to the parents of Mr. Crosby
and playoffs' most valuable player Evgeni Malkin.

Along the route yesterday, massive cheers echoed throughout
the narrow Grant Street corridor, as viewers hung from windows
at the federal courthouse, filled up steps at the U.S. Steel Tower and the Mellon building and waved from open windows in the Koppers Building.

At 12:30, Sydney Crosby and the cup passed a cheering throng at the
City-County Building. Near-deafening cheers and confetti
also greeted Mr. Crosby at the six-level garage at the corner
of Smithfield and the Boulevard of the Allies.
When the parade ended, team officials and players took the stage.
Mr. Lemieux, Mr. Bylsma and the players went out of their way to thank fans for their support. The team arranged for a giant GoVision screen above the stage, which also provided a better view when the players spoke.

The team arranged for a giant GoVision screen above the stage,
which also provided a better view when the players spoke.
Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said the screen was a natural followup
to the JumboTron the team had for playoff home games, drawing thousands to watch outside Mellon Arena until NBC pulled the plug for games the network televised during the final cup series.

"Fans responded so well [to the JumboTron] that we thought we'd continue that tradition with the parade," he said. In his remarks, team General Manager Ray Shero saluted the fans for inspiring the team. "Game 6 [a home game when the Penguins faced elimination if they lost] was the best crowd I've ever seen," he said. "They propelled us to victory and on to Game 7."

Mr. Bylsma also thanked fans for being "a real big part" of the team's success. Noting the Steelers' championship earlier this year, Mr. Bylsma said Pittsburgh again is "the City of Champions. That's much better than Hockey Town," Detroit's nickname. Mr. Crosby said he and his teammates reveled in the atmosphere of the parade. "Today is better than I ever dreamed. This is better than I think any of us has ever dreamed," he said. "We don't want to stop at one [Stanley Cup victory]. We want to go for more."

This parade came on the heels of the Pittsburgh Steelers
winning the Super Bowl in February. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said
the sports championships and Pittsburgh's selection to host the G-20
world economic summit in September make this a special year for the city.

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Page was Created with Love and Pride

by

Joanne Murray Vereb
GabbiAsh@aol.com

Gráím thú

June 16, 2009

Today is...

Information about Pgh was mostly from
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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