http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The best sign of the day, by far, was the one that read, "Hossa, Are You Watching?"
Somehow, I doubt Marian Hossa was tuned in to the Stanley Cup parade Monday, but even he would have been impressed with the performance of Penguins fans.
PITTSBURGH - JUNE 15: Evgeni Malkin(notes) #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins sprays the crowd with water with the Conn Smythe trophy at his side during the Stanley Cup Champion Victory Parade on June 15, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)This was as much about them as it was about the team.
"Best fans in all of sports," Mario Lemieux said.
He might be right.
Standing there amid the masses — which included about 10 people atop a tiny parking-lot ticket booth near the stage — I couldn't help but think of the bad old days.
Like the time fans filled Mellon Arena and cheered madly for terrible teams as seasons ended in 2004 and '05. The first of those clubs finished 23-47-8-4, yet coach Eddie Olczyk was treated to a standing ovation after a victory over Carolina in the home finale.
Goal scorers that day were Matt Bradley, Milan Kraft and Lasse Pirjeta. There was no parade.
I also thought of last season, when Penguins fans gave their club a rousing ovation after the bitter Game 6 loss to Detroit, then cheered the Red Wings as they celebrated a championship (too bad Wings fans weren't nearly as classy when the skate was on the other foot Friday night).
Penguins fans might have had their finest moment at Game 6 of this year's Cup final. General manager Ray Shero made a point to mention that yesterday, as he stood on the stage at the intersection of Stanwix Street and Boulevard of the Allies, staring into a sea of black and gold and powder blue.
"When we needed you guys the most, in Game 6," he said, "it was absolutely the most fantastic crowd I've ever seen."
Coach Dan Bylsma also spoke of Game 6, and how meaningful it was to hear the crowd chant "Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!" before the opening faceoff (they chanted it again as Bylsma spoke). Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had been pulled from the previous game after allowing five goals.
Bylsma said when he heard that chant before Game 6, he turned to assistant coach Mike Yeo on the bench and said, "We're gonna win this one."
"That's what you guys did for us," Bylsma said.
PITTSBURGH - JUNE 15: General manager Ray Shero of the Pittsburgh Penguins addresses the crowd during Stanley Cup Champion Victory Parade on June 15, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)The Penguins kept the ceremony short and sweet on a gorgeous, 82-degree afternoon under a sky that was as beautifully blue as those throwback jerseys.
Fleury also expressed gratitude to the fans, saying, "I know sometimes I let some soft ones in, and you guys still cheered for me, so thanks a lot!"
One of the biggest roars was for veteran winger Bill Guerin, who found himself "almost speechless" for one of the few times in his life.
Guerin can be an unrestricted free agent July 1. Fans obviously do not want that to happen. They chanted, "One more year! One more year!" after Guerin followed team captain Sidney Crosby to the microphone.
"I'm going to let these guys talk for a little bit," Guerin said, laughing.
You half-expected Shero to hand Guerin a new contract right there on stage.
Guerin thanked Lemieux for having the players and their families over to his house Sunday night, where the Stanley Cup wound up in the Lemieux swimming pool, just as it had 18 years earlier.
Later, fans were treated to Evgeni Malkin giving his parents — "The Genos" — a sip of champagne out of the Cup. Crosby did the same for his parents, Troy and Trina.
The longest-tenured member of the team, defenseman Brooks Orpik, was there for the bad old days, so he knows all about the special love affair between the town and its team.
Yet, even he was surprised with the turnout yesterday.
"I tried to imagine how it would be," Orpik said. "It was 100 times better."
And sometimes so loud you wondered if Hossa could hear it.
No comments:
Post a Comment