Hawks raise Stanley Cup banner to the rafters
Leave it the Blackhawks.
After putting on the show of shows last season in winning the Stanley Cup, the Hawks followed that up with yet another thriller Saturday as they celebrated their magical run one last time by hoisting the championship banner to the rafters of the United Center.
But as much as watching the banner make its way to its new home was the moment of the night, it was just one of several that stood out during a sterling 35-minute ceremony.
What will those 22,161 fans who were lucky enough to attend Saturday's home opener against Detroit remember the most from Saturday's festivities?
Ÿ Was it the video tribute to last year's team, one which featured images projected not only on the big screen above center ice but amazingly also on the entire ice surface itself all while an orchestral version of U2's “With or Without You purred behind it?
Ÿ Or how about when Hawks television analyst Eddie Olczyk greeted the rabid crowd with, “Tonight is an event we've been waiting 49 years for!
Ÿ It easily could've been when Hawks senior management was being introduced and they tried sneaking commissioner Gary Bettman's introduction in with that group, but the UC crowd would have none of it and relentlessly rained down boos on the Commish.
Ÿ Maybe it was when chairman Rocky Wirtz was saluted like a rock star and somehow upped the decibel level by pronouncing: “We like the view from the top ... and will continue doing everything we can to stay there.
Ÿ Perhaps it was the reception for coach Joel Quenneville, which ranked right up there with those given to Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane but couldn't compare to the cheer of the night which came when a virtual red carpet was rolled out along the ice surface for Jonathan Toews and the Cup.
After skating out to center ice, Toews placed Stanley on a table, patted him a few times and then rejoined his mates for the denouement.
That would be when members of the 1961 champion Hawks including Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita unfurled the 2010 banner and handed it off to the current players who skated it down ice.
As camera phones flashed from every sector of the UC, the banner reading:
Chicago Blackhawks
Stanley Cup
Champions
2010
slowly made its way to its new home, capping off an unforgettable night and closing a magical chapter.