Each of the Pittsburgh Penguins had his moment, but Wednesday belonged to general manager Jim Rutherford and coach Mike Sullivan. Three days after winning the Stanley Cup, chants and cheers greeted the Penguins when they rode through the largest sports parade in Pittsburgh's history. Two chants seemed to stand out.
"Thank you, Jim!" the crowd bellowed when Rutherford cruised through the crowd at the intersection of Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies.
"Thank you, Jim!" the crowd bellowed when Rutherford cruised through the crowd at the intersection of Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies.
"Thank you, coach!" welcomed Sullivan.
Fans clamored for centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who each hoisted the Stanley Cup from the back of his truck. Neither was met with the level of appreciation granted Rutherford and Sullivan.
"We were slow when we started, but boy, were we fast when we finished," Rutherford said atop a stage at the intersection of the Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street. "This team is really like Pittsburgh, you know? It's a really talented team. It has a lot of character and it's a hardworking team. And it's really what you people are all about."
Pittsburgh's "HBK" line of Bonino centering Hagelin and Kessel showed off a WWE world heavyweight championship belt sent by Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE's executive vice president of talent, live events and creative. The crowd cheered the line acquired by Rutherford within the past year and kept intact by Sullivan through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I just want to say how much of a pleasure it was to play with the legend Phil Kessel," Bonino said.
"No one's better than Phil. Phil the Thrill," Hagelin added.
Kessel didn't say a word. He simply hoisted the Cup as Steigerwald exclaimed, "Phil Kessel's a Stanley Cup champion."
"You've now earned the respect you've gotten and we're so very proud of you," Peduto said, referring to Rutherford. "Coach, you brought a blue-collar work ethic to a blue-collar town that knows how to work. You made it so that the sum of all these parts was greater by bringing them together. You made us all so proud to cheer on this team."
Sullivan couldn't help but coach Wednesday. When Crosby was asked a question regarding the physicality of the Stanley Cup Final, Sullivan approached him and whispered in his ear, with Crosby replying, "Thanks."
On Wednesday, Sullivan gave his players the credit.
"The one thing I've learned is this is one crazy sports town," Sullivan said. "Maybe even more crazy, this is one crazy hockey town. … This is a group that's been through a lot this year. The challenges that they've overcome to become the best hockey team in the world, we couldn't be more proud of them."
Rutherford's trades and Sullivan's execution have molded the Penguins. Before the parade ended, Rutherford suggested one final deal.
"I'll try to make one deal with you," Rutherford said. "Let's try to meet here at this time next year."
Fans clamored for centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who each hoisted the Stanley Cup from the back of his truck. Neither was met with the level of appreciation granted Rutherford and Sullivan.
Pittsburgh's "HBK" line of Bonino centering Hagelin and Kessel showed off a WWE world heavyweight championship belt sent by Paul "Triple H" Levesque, WWE's executive vice president of talent, live events and creative. The crowd cheered the line acquired by Rutherford within the past year and kept intact by Sullivan through the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I just want to say how much of a pleasure it was to play with the legend Phil Kessel," Bonino said.
"No one's better than Phil. Phil the Thrill," Hagelin added.
Kessel didn't say a word. He simply hoisted the Cup as Steigerwald exclaimed, "Phil Kessel's a Stanley Cup champion."
Sullivan couldn't help but coach Wednesday. When Crosby was asked a question regarding the physicality of the Stanley Cup Final, Sullivan approached him and whispered in his ear, with Crosby replying, "Thanks."
On Wednesday, Sullivan gave his players the credit.
"The one thing I've learned is this is one crazy sports town," Sullivan said. "Maybe even more crazy, this is one crazy hockey town. … This is a group that's been through a lot this year. The challenges that they've overcome to become the best hockey team in the world, we couldn't be more proud of them."
Rutherford's trades and Sullivan's execution have molded the Penguins. Before the parade ended, Rutherford suggested one final deal.
"I'll try to make one deal with you," Rutherford said. "Let's try to meet here at this time next year."
The largest sports parade in Pittsburgh's history greeted its Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday. With fans 20 rows deep, some packing a large parking garage and others leaning from office building windows in downtown Pittsburgh, the Penguins brought the Stanley Cup down Grant Street and the Boulevard of the Allies. Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald said he was told the crowd was the largest celebrating a sports championship in the city's history, which indicates it outdrew the 375,000 who attended the Penguins' parade in 2009. The players reveled in the raucous environment, particularly rookie forwards Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary. Rust and Sheary each hopped from his truck and excitedly stumbled over his words while speaking with local media. Sheary cut his interview short by apologizing, saying "I have to go catch my ride" and running away while pumping his arms.
"This is a little bit more [than he expected]," Sheary said. "These fans are crazy. It's awesome."
"This is exactly how I remembered it," Crosby said atop the stage at the intersection of the Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street. "This is a special town. Obviously, this group of guys, we wanted it bad."
Penguins forward Phil Kessel got his moment. After grinning and nodding to the crowd along the entire route, Kessel lifted the Cup on the stage, generating possibly the loudest reaction of the day.
"It's been a treacherous wait, that's for sure," Dailey said. "Ever since 2003, I'm a goalie, so he was my idol growing up. He was the one who got us into the playoffs, especially early in the season. He was our best player all regular season."
Joe Olinzock flew from Vermont to Pittsburgh on Tuesday to arrive near the Stanwix Street stage at 3:30 a.m.
"Nothing makes me happier than watching hockey, playing hockey and Pittsburgh's where it's at," Olinzock said. "I've been a Penguins fan forever. I worked a double [shift] overnight just to be able to come here. Two hours of sleep in two days, and I don't plan on sleeping until I go home on Thursday."
Their wait seemed worth it when the players emerged just before noon.
"Pretty poorly," Cole admitted. "I'm not quite as good-looking as Miss America."
Three days removed from winning the Stanley Cup, Cole said it hasn't fully hit him.
"I don't know if it ever will sink in," Cole said. "It's one of those things where it's hard to put into words. You see this many people come out, it's something really special."
The parade ended in familiar fashion. Penguins radio analyst Phil Bourque, who won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992, recited a popular line and asked the fans to join.
"You guys remember the line? … I start it and you guys finish it, all right?" Bourque asked while greeted with cheers. "What do you say we take this down to the river and party all summer?"
Penguins forward Phil Kessel got his moment. After grinning and nodding to the crowd along the entire route, Kessel lifted the Cup on the stage, generating possibly the loudest reaction of the day.
Joe Olinzock flew from Vermont to Pittsburgh on Tuesday to arrive near the Stanwix Street stage at 3:30 a.m.
"Nothing makes me happier than watching hockey, playing hockey and Pittsburgh's where it's at," Olinzock said. "I've been a Penguins fan forever. I worked a double [shift] overnight just to be able to come here. Two hours of sleep in two days, and I don't plan on sleeping until I go home on Thursday."
Their wait seemed worth it when the players emerged just before noon.
Three days removed from winning the Stanley Cup, Cole said it hasn't fully hit him.
"I don't know if it ever will sink in," Cole said. "It's one of those things where it's hard to put into words. You see this many people come out, it's something really special."
The parade ended in familiar fashion. Penguins radio analyst Phil Bourque, who won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992, recited a popular line and asked the fans to join.
"You guys remember the line? … I start it and you guys finish it, all right?" Bourque asked while greeted with cheers. "What do you say we take this down to the river and party all summer?"
The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup led by the "HBK Line" of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel, and no title involving an HBK would be complete without a championship belt. WWE took notice of Pittsburgh's win as wrestler Triple H gifted a special championship belt to the Penguins to commemorate the fourth championship in their history. The Penguins confirmed receipt of the belt Wednesday ahead of their championship parade, then posted a picture of Bonino sporting it at Consol Energy Center. Bonino showcased the belt while riding through Pittsburgh during the parade.
"It's pretty fun to celebrate with [the belt]," Bonino told WPXI. "We all grew up watching the WWE."
Triple H's former wrestling partner Shawn Michaels was known as "The Heartbreak Kid," or "HBK," and he became a Penguins fan after he was told of the line's name during the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Michaels attended Game 5 against the Lightning at Consol Energy Center on May 22 as a guest of the Penguins. Michaels kept tabs on the Penguins after and posted his congratulations following their Stanley Cup win against the San Jose Sharks in Game 6 of the Cup Final on Sunday.
Triple H's former wrestling partner Shawn Michaels was known as "The Heartbreak Kid," or "HBK," and he became a Penguins fan after he was told of the line's name during the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Michaels attended Game 5 against the Lightning at Consol Energy Center on May 22 as a guest of the Penguins. Michaels kept tabs on the Penguins after and posted his congratulations following their Stanley Cup win against the San Jose Sharks in Game 6 of the Cup Final on Sunday.
The "HBK Line" wreaked havoc on opponents after Hagelin, Bonino and Kessel were put together in late March, combining for 20 goals and 56 points in Pittsburgh's 24-game run to the Stanley Cup.
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