Stanley Cup makes special stop in the suburbs
Hours after hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years, the Blackhawks added another tale to the trophy's storied legacy.
Early Thursday morning after touching down at O'Hare, the players celebrated at a party for players and their families at Harry Caray's Restaurant in Rosemont. During the revelry, the trophy's bowl was filled with Budweiser and raised to the lips of a bust of Caray. In spirit, the deceased Hall of Fame baseball announcer was able to celebrate a Chicago championship.
"Harry did get to partake of his favorite beverage from the Cup," said Grant DePorter, the restaurant's president and managing partner.
The 35-pound trophy was first awarded in 1893 and named after Lord Frederick Stanley, the 19th-century British-born politician who loved hockey.
The Cup carries an illustrious history and is engraved with each player's name from the winning team. The winners often create a schedule so players get their own time to take care of the trophy during the off-season. Newborn babies have been given baths in its cup. Players have left the trophy behind after exhaustive road trips. The best stories about the trophy are likely the ones not made public.
Thursday morning's party was supposed to be private so players could relax and celebrate with their loved ones. But around 2 a.m., fans began lining up outside of the restaurant, somehow tipped off. When the cup arrived around 4:20 a.m., Hawks fans mobbed the trophy trying to touch a piece of hockey immortality. About 150 fans showed up at the Rosemont restaurant.
While goaltender Antti Niemmi routinely said "no" to opponents' shots at the net, the Blackhawks on Thursday said "yes" to their fans. Led by captain Jonathan Toews, the team passed the trophy around and allowed fans' fingerprints to smudge the Cup's silver and nickel finish.
"Toews was definitely working it the hardest," DePorter said. "He really was making sure he spent time with every fan that decided to show up."
Like a line change, when Toews and his group of teammates returned inside, different players took their places. The players opened up the restaurant's blinds and displayed the Cup outside a window so fans could snap photos.
The Cup's whereabouts Thursday weren't made public. The players likely made the rounds in the early morning with the Cup while enjoying Chicago's nightlife. One thing for sure is that the Cup will be brandished today during the ticker-tape parade and rally.
Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens said he was honored the team picked the village to celebrate. Harry Caray's was chosen for its proximity to the airport and ties to the Hawks' Patrick Kane and legend Bobby Hull, who invested in Caray's Navy Pier location.
Another reason, DePorter happily points out, is that the Hawks were 6-0 this season when Caray's catered the team's in-flight meals for away games. Filet mignon and chicken Vesuvio evidently equal victories.
Stephens lauded the players for how they treated the fans. He also revealed that thanks to the Hawks' Ben Eager, some fans were lucky enough to take a sip out of the cup. Stephens also had the chance to touch Lord Stanley's trophy.
"I got a picture of that," he said. "It was quite an experience. It was kind of spine-tingling. It's a piece of history that just is phenomenal."
Stephens said he tried to remain in the background during the party. But he asked coach Joel Quenneville to make this an annual event.
"That's easier said than done," Quenneville told Stephens.
The restaurant needed to apply for a special license with the village to serve liquor in the early morning hours, the same process used in 1999 when the restaurant served alcohol early in the day when the Cubs opened their season in Japan.
The team left Rosemont after two hours, and some headed to Wrigleyville. Around 10 a.m., Toews headed to Ann Sather's on Belmont Avenue in Chicago with a few friends. Captain Serious signed more autographs, but did not bring the Cup with him.
"He was with about five people," said Adolfo Martinez, the restaurant's senior manager.
As luck would have it, next door to Ann Sather's stands Philly's Best, which specializes in authentic Philadelphia cheesesteaks. Several Philadelphia businesses made office bets with their Chicago counterparts over the result of the Finals, keeping Philly's Best owner Michael Markellos busy during lunch hour. Those Philadelphia businesses who supported the Flyers paid off their bets Thursday by buying lunch for Blackhawks fans. That meant Philly's Best had to fill several orders of cheesesteaks on Thursday afternoon.
Markellos arrived at work at 10:30 a.m. after Toews had left Ann Sather's. If Toews had stuck around, Markellos said he'd offer the playoffs MVP a peace offering in the form of a cheesesteak. The Philly native picked the Hawks to win in seven games.
"It was just one heck of a series," he said.