Fans Pack Downtown St. Louis To Celebrate Blues' Stanley Cup

Local leaders’ expectations of at least a half million people appeared to be spot ongetty images

A morning downpour "fizzled to a light rain" by the time the Blues' Stanley Cup championship parade began yesterday before a "massive crowd on the grounds of the Gateway Arch." There were "no immediate crowd estimates, but local leaders’ expectations of at least a half million people appeared to be spot on." The "long-awaited championship stirred strong emotions in St. Louis, a city still smarting from the departure" of the Rams in '16 (AP, 6/15). Blues jerseys and flags were "visible all along the route; chants fill the air in some places: 'We got the Cup! We got the Cup!'" Public transportation and traffic were "jammed up coming into downtown." By the time the parade started, the route and rally site were "packed with people, sometimes 30 deep" (STLTODAY.com, 6/16).