On Monday night, the Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup championship in six years, and on Thursday the city held a celebration fit for the occasion. Here were the best moments from the day.
The weather cooperated just in time
Around 8am Thursday a storm system rolled through the downtown area. This act may have been justice for beating a team called the Lightning, but once that passed, the heavens smiled upon Chicago and the Blackhawks and blessed us with sunny skies and 70-degree temperatures for the rest of the day.
The Anthem and flyover
The first order of business at the Soldier Field rally was the National Anthem. Jim Cornelison's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Blackhawks games has become a tradition. The addition of fireworks and a jet flyover at the rally only enhanced the performance.
Rahm getting booed
Players, coaches and other Blackhawks staff were introduced to the crowd to raucous applause. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, however, was greeted to a chorus of boos from the 70,000 in attendance at Soldier Field when he was acknowledged by Hawks President John McDonough. It was another great unifying moment for the city, because if there's one thing that brings Chicagoans together better than sports teams, it's our full-blown hatred of the mayor. Haters gonna hate, Rahm.
Rocky Wirtz dissing Tampa Bay
When Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz took the podium to speak to the crowd, he started off by saying, "Notice the rain on Monday night? Because I didn't see any Lightning." It was an awesome burn, and you know it hurt Tampa fans' precious little feelings.
Crawford dropping another F-Bomb
Crawford dropped an F-Bomb at the Blackhawks Stanley Cup rally in 2013, so this one wasn't too much of a surprise. He just won his second Stanley Cup title after another full season of catching criticism about his performance, and even being benched during the first series of the postseason. I think that's enough to give him a pass to say one bad word.
C.J. Reif receiving the title belt
The Blackhawks players have a tradition of handing out a WWE title belt to the player they believe had the best performance from the prior game. But instead of handing it to one of the heroes of Game 6, Kris Versteeg handed it to C.J. Reif, the 9-year-old son of Blackhawks assistant equipment manager and friend of the team Clint Reif, who passed away in December at age 34. Although the team didn't have the belt with them, Versteeg lifted C.J. up in front of the crowd to a loud ovation of cheers in what was the best and certainly most emotional moment of the rally.
Chelsea Dagger caps the rally
After an interesting rendition of Macklemore's "And We Danced" from Versteeg and Joakim Nordstrom, confetti flew around Soldier Field, the players hoisted the Cup and the victory song fans have become so accustomed to over the past six years, "Chelsea Dagger," blared over the speakers one last time. It was a fitting end to a great celebration for a team and franchise that continues to exude excellence and class.