In a ceremony that included Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and other members of the 1961 Stanley Cup championship winning team, the Chicago Blackhawks celebrated their 2010 Stanley Cup victory by raising their championship banner tonight. Fans might be bitter that the team fell to division rival Detroit 3-2 tonight in their home opener, but it shouldn’t wipe away the great feeling in the big picture.
NHL.com captures the scene at the United Center in Chicago.They raised three championship banners at the United Center on Saturday night, but it was more than just a ceremony for those who filled the building with camera flashes and cheers. They also celebrated the proud history of the Chicago Blackhawks and the official resurrection of an Original Six team that had virtually disappeared from the hockey map.
For 30 minutes at least, it didn’t matter that almost half of the team was turned over because of the League’s salary cap or that the Hawks would play rival Detroit without defenseman Brian Campbell and Patrick Sharp - both out with injuries.
All that mattered was that huge new Stanley Cup championship banner slowly being raised to the rafters alongside the ones from 1934, 1938 and 1961. It had to be a surreal feeling for most Hawks fans in attendance, many of whom suffered through some very dark days in the late 1990s and the early years of the past decade.
Who knows if the dramatically different Blackhawks roster will be able to duplicate those Cup-winning results from last season, but one thing is clear: they certainly know how to celebrate in style.
Update: here’s a video of the ceremony.