The Chicago Blackhawks will take the Stanley Cup to Chicago's Gay Pride Parade

[wndycty]

Hawks bringing Cup to Pride Parade
Comments

June 22, 2010

BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist
The Stanley Cup . . .

Is the ultimate game of testosterone going to dispatch a Blackhawk with the Stanley Cup in tow to the Gay Pride Parade this weekend?

You betcha!

Sneed has learned Blackhawks President John McDonough is rerouting the Stanley Cup from the NHL draft in L.A. to the parade Sunday . . . and Blackhawk defenseman Brent Sopel has volunteered to represent the team.

"I am honored to do it," said Sopel, who will be accompanied by wife, Kelly, and his four kids, Jacob, 12, Lyla, 8, Jayla, 6, and Paul, 20, whom they adopted three years ago after Paul's parents died within six months of each other.

"The power of the Cup is incomprehensible, and we recognize the importance of doing this," said McDonough, who has arranged for the Stanley Cup to be flown back from the National Hockey League draft in Los Angeles 15 hours early. "It's important for the city and important for the franchise."
-snip-

http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/2417426,CST-NWS-SNEED22.article

[GodlessBiker]

1. Very cool!

[SunnySong]

2. Good for them... heck great for them...NT

[Enrique]

3. that's unexpected

:thumbsup:

[blondeatlast]

4. Love it! nt

[sabra]

5. awesome!

[Ishoutandscream2]

6. Good on them!

Kick!

[City Lights]

7. Very cool!

:thumbsup:

[prolesunited]

8. Very cool

Proof that the Midwest is evolving.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

9. Wow! nt

[joeybee12]

10. This is very, very incredible...

Glad they realize that everyone in Chicago is thrilled about the victory...and everyone should take part in the celebration.

[daggahead]

11. Awesome! Way to go Chicago! n/t

[Forkboy]

12. You'd never knowing it while watching a game, but hockey players are pretty nice people.

I was a total rink rat for decades, and I saw more class individuals than you can shake a hockey stick at. I've also had the chance to talk, and even work a few times, with NHL players, and all of them were truly down to Earth, humble guys. Not to say everyone in the game is an angel, by any means, but in general they're really good people.

[Spazito]

13. That is VERY cool!

Recommended!

[sabra]

14. looks like the Cubbies are also breaking down some barriers

from the article:

"Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs are also breaking down a barrier: For the first time in the parade's history, the Cubbies are going to have a float in the parade and super Cubbie Ernie Banks will be on it. "The team is playing Sunday, so they can't be there," said Cubs spokesman Mike Lufrano. It will also be the first float sponsored by any major Chicago sports team."

Come on ChiSox it's your turn too! :-)

[Bragi]

15. As a Canadian, and a passionate hockey fan, I say...

Fabulous! Way to go Hawks!

[Orsino]

16. Still not enough to interest me in hockey, but more than enough for me to applaud.

More athletes, coaches, owners and fans should similarly ditch their fears.

[Evasporque]

17. Oh those boys and thier sticks....nt

[JoDog]

18. A wonderful thing to do

and can just say how proud I am of the 'Hawks fans after seeing what happened after the Lakers won? Here, there was no rioting, just some drunken partying in the streets, a gigantic rally and some stolen street signs. In LA, a taxi cab was torched.

Thanks 'Hawks nation for keeping it classy.

[sufrommich]

19. That's cool. Good for them. nt

[Joey Liberal]

20. Great!

The right-wingers in Chicago will be in hysterics! hahahahaaaaaaaaaa

[grace0418]

38. There aren't many right-wingers in that neighborhood. I live near boystown and

it's just one of the reasons I love my neighborhood. Although strangely there was a Gay Republican booth at the Andersonville Midsommerfest (another very gay-friendly hood near me). They weren't getting much interest. In fact most people said things like "are you kidding me?" when they walked past.

Anyway, when they see it on the news I'm sure they'll be pissed. LOL!

[spiritual_gunfighter]

44. Right Wingers in Chicago?

Fortunately I dont see them very often around these parts.

[Joey Liberal]

53. I work with one

He makes Dick Cheney look like a Liberal.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

54. I know they are out here

I was kidding really. I live in Dennis Hastert's district so I know em.

[Broke In Jersey]

21. What about the other sports?

I could be wrong but I never recall Baseball, Football, or Basketball ever bringing their championship trophy to the local gay pride march!!! Now I know which sport to support and which not to.

[laundry_queen]

22. I'm impressed.

As a Canadian and hockey fan, I say wtg hawks!

[never cry wolf]

23. I am proud of my Hawks!

I was going to post this also but did a search first, thanks wndycty.

[SidDithers]

24. This is great...

Hockey players are the coolest athletes.

Sid

[gratuitous]

25. "The power of the cup is incomprehensible"

I'll second that. The lore surrounding the Stanley Cup is the stuff of legends, and I have no doubt that many of the stories are even true. The Stanley Cup is a rare trophy, one that belongs equally to the players, the fans, and the front office of the franchise. Maybe because it doesn't reside in one place, but travels to the town of the winner each year, it has a common touch that other sports trophies lack. Can you imagine the Super Bowl trophy or the NBA Championship trophy traveling the countryside? And who even knows what the World Series trophy looks like? (Yeah, it's a stadium surrounded by pennants.) Nope, once those rarities have been displayed at the team's celebration parade, they're forever behind glass at the franchise office, reserved for the few. But the Stanley Cup goes everywhere, even the gay pride parade.

[City Lights]

27. Great post!

:thumbsup:

[xchrom]

26. I'm tickled Pink! Awesome! Nt

[Odin2005]

28. Watch out for exploding heads!

[NNN0LHI]

29. Did you know there is a man assigned to guard the Stanley Cup everywhere it goes?

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1992169,00.html

Mike Bolt: The Man Who Guards the Stanley Cup



On May 29, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers will kick off this year's Stanley Cup finals. The champion will score the titular giant chalice. Each member of the winning team will get one day with the Cup, during which time he can do with it what he likes (within reason). The Stanley Cup — which is basically just a 117-year-old punch bowl — has been thrown in rivers, filled with dog food, even perched on top of a mountain. And wherever it goes, Mike Bolt goes with it. Bolt is the keeper of the Stanley Cup, the NHL's one-man secret service. His sole job is to protect the most famous sports trophy around. TIME caught up with Bolt in an airport — he was flying back from Philadelphia after attending the Eastern Conference finals.
(Read TIME's brief history of the Stanley Cup.)

How in the world did you get to be the Stanley Cup guy?

I started working for the NHL 15 years ago. I worked in the Hockey Hall of Fame's special-events office. There was an opening for a Stanley Cup guardian, my boss put in a good word for me, and that was that. I'm with the Cup 250 days out of the year, and I've been doing it for 11 years now. I have a pretty awesome job. Even the players who make millions of dollars and get to play the great game of hockey tell me that. I've spent more time with the Cup than any winner ever does.

So how do you carry it? That Stanley Cup is pretty big.

Yeah, it's three feet tall and pretty heavy. It travels in a foam fitted case. I don't physically carry it around, except for when it's out for people to see.

You're at the airport right now. Does the Cup fly in the cabin with you? Or in cargo?

It's checked like luggage, but it's so heavy that it usually has to be inspected. Some airlines have weight restrictions, others give the NHL special permissions. It's funny to watch their reactions when they open the case. Not everyone is a hockey fan, but most people know what the Stanley Cup is. They sometimes ask to get their picture taken with it.
(See the top 10 sporting moments.)

I've heard there are rules about what you can and can't do with the Cup.

There are. We let people come up and touch it. They can kiss it. But they should always respect it and admire it. You can't hoist it above your head unless you've won the Cup.

Can I pour beer in it?

No, only players can do that.

Do people ever try to sneak by you to pour beer in it?

They try. They don't succeed.

Never?

Never.

How much beer can it hold?

The Stanley Cup can hold 14 cans of beer.

[taterguy]

30. Shouldn't this thread be in the Sports Forum?

I keed
I keed

Good on the Blackhawks.

[terrya]

31. This is pretty cool

This isn't trivial. This is an outreach to the gay community by a professional sports team...in the most public of ways, a gay Pride Parade.

The Chicago Cubs, represented by Ernie Banks, are also going to be in the parade this Sunday. I'm going to be there with friends and it will definitely be a parade to remember.

[mopinko]

47. hey there terrya, long time no see

somehow haven't bumped into you in a long while. hope you are well.
:hi:

[wndycty]

32. Late afternoon kick

:kick:

[never cry wolf]

34. another kick wndycty

and another win for the Sox!!!!

[TheWatcher]

33. Bravo Blackhawks.

That is AWESOME. :loveya:

[donheld]

35. Very cool

[Swede]

36. Brent Sopel is from my hometown,Saskatoon.

Good job,buddy.

[Mojeoux]

37. Beautiful Move!!!!

[lunasun]

39. This is why I'm happy to be here and from here

Taste of Chicago too that weekend . All who can, should come in for the weekend.

[Robert DAH Bruce]

40. Good for them!

K&R

[fishwax]

41. that's awesome -- great move, Blackhawks!

:bounce:

[eridani]

42. Fantastic! My mom was a big Blackhawks fan when she was alive

I used to kid her about going to the fights and waiting for a hockey game to break out. She got much more liberal with age, and would have liked to see this.

[reggie the dog]

43. man, i am going to miss it by one week

i will be back home in chicago for the 4th of july weekend....

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

45. A Red Wing Fan! But....

great way to go Blackhawks. Hockey is the greatest sport with the best people playing.

[Crowman1979]

46. I totally disapprove of this.

The Stanley Cup should have be at the Michigan Gay Pride Festival in Lansing this year damnit! :(

[KharmaTrain]

49. We're Hoping To Wipe That "Hockeytown" Off Your Ice...

Just throw the squids and leave the Cup problems to the Blackhawks for the next decade or so. You've had your turn.

:rofl:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

48. What a fantastic action!

:applause:

Though I can't get this out of my head now:

The "power of the cup" will compel you...
The "power of the cup" will compel you...
The "power of the cup" will compel you...

:evilgrin:

[cate94]

50. Awesome.

I haven't gone to a Pride Parade in years but I might just brave the crowds to cheer for the Blackhawks and the Cubs.
Maybe Ernie riding in the Pride Parade will break the curse... :)

[cliffordu]

51. Fookin' great!!!

[HillWilliam]

52. Gay hockey fan and former Chicagoan says

:party: :woohoo: