Estimated Crowd Of 2 Million Turns Out For Blackhawks Celebration

The Blackhawks drew a crowd of 60,000-plus at Soldier Field yesterday for their Stanley Cup championship rally, "most wearing red." The city estimated the crowd "in and around the stadium, and along the parade route" at 2 million. The rally was "covered live on local TV and was broadcast on video boards outside Soldier Field" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/19). As the rally began, "some people who did not have tickets were being allowed in through a single line at the south entrance" to the stadium (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/19). Blackhawks Chair Rocky Wirtz said fans were "boarding trains at four and five in the morning and camping out all night" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 6/18).

Team President John McDonough "heard roar after he hit the right notes" in his rally speech, and if he "hadn't acknowledged Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was booed like a Red Wing, only cheers would have been heard." GM Stan Bowman did not speek (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/19).