Took my girls to the rally and parade today and had an insanely awesome time. We met up with two cousins of mine whom I consider sisters and my cousins' two boys. We were right THERE where the buses ended the parade and it was a perfect spot. Why? Because the last bus contained Kane, Toews, the Conn Smythe and the Cup. Here's two pics to show how close we were...
img src= http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7661/kanecup2.th.jpg">img src= http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1556/kanecup.th.jpg">Hell yeah. They were there for about 15 minutes while all the other buses unloaded. Toews and Kane hoisted the Cup, drank beers out of it and shotgunned a couple. A few people threw jerseys up and Kane signed them and threw them back. My voice is totally shot. Seeing the Cup that close was an incredible feeling, knowing it is ours for at least a year.
The rally itself was a blast too. After the Anthem, Olczyk intro'ed everyone in the front office and a couple guys made short speeches...Rocky, McDonough, Q and Stan Bowman. Then they intro'ed all the players, even guys like Beach who haven't yet played a game for us. I imagine it was to give them a taste of what they can achieve. Some highlights....Versteeg's rap, chanting for Keith to smile, Buff handing the wrestling belt to Kane for the OT winner, Kane looking half-crocked and Toews actually smiling. I high-fived so many strangers I couldn't keep the faces straight. What a truly unforgettable day I had with 6 of my favorite people in the world.
A couple times during the ceremonies, I turned to my cousin Kelli with a BIG smile and asked, "How the hell did this happen?" She would just say, "Ton, I don't know, but isn't it great?"
Indeed it was.