Inland Waterways » millions of excited fans spent a sun-drenched

CHICAGO -- From the jubilant parade all the way to the boisterous rally, millions of excited fans spent a sun-drenched Friday celebrating another Stanley Cup title for the Chicago Blackhawks. Dressed mostly in red and black, they came out to say thanks for the memories. Turns out, captain Jonathan Toews and Co. wanted to return the favour. "This shows how unbelievable this city is," Toews said, addressing the rapt crowd at Grant Park. "Unbelievable. Thank you." The Blackhawks rode to the rally in red, open-topped buses, passing waving and screaming fans of every age as the parade travelled from the United Center to the downtown party. Toews hoisted the Stanley Cup over his head to show it off to the crowd, which was cooled by large water misters placed along the route with temperatures in the low 80s. One of the many signs read "Thank you, guys" on the top line and "Best 17 seconds of my life" for the second part -- referring to the pair of late goals that lifted the Blackhawks to a 3-2 title-clinching victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday night. And there was at least one expression of love for Andrew Shaw, the hardscrabble forward who required stitches on his face after he was hit by a puck Monday. It was the second championship in four seasons for the Blackhawks, and authorities thought Fridays crowd was even heartier than the 2 million that came out in 2010. "What do you say we get back here and do it again next year?" forward Patrick Sharp said to a big cheer at the rally. The Grant Park crowd also enjoyed a brief but colorful speech by normally reserved goaltender Corey Crawford, who drew wide grins and chuckles from his teammates. "Its tough to follow that speech by Corey Crawford," Toews said after he carried the Cup onto the stage. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said 42 people were taken to hospitals with heat-related health problems. He also said 20 people jumped into a restricted part of Lake Michigan and the fire department made sure that all 20 came out of the water. The massive crowd at the park grew steadily all morning long, with the most ardent supporters camping out overnight, ready to sprint to the big stage the minute police swung the barriers aside. By the time buses delivered the players and their families, the park was packed. Some fans brought along homemade versions of the Stanley Cup, including one fashioned from an empty beer keg. Twenty-somethings Courtney Baldwin and Meghan OKane, from the citys suburbs, slapped together their tribute from a jumble of jugs and plastic bowls painted grey. It was empty Friday morning, but Baldwin said they planned to fill it with an adult beverage in the afternoon -- a common occurrence for the actual silver trophy over the past week. One fan who dashed to the front near the stage was Michael Wilczynski, a 26-year-old sales associate from the suburbs. His father took him to his first game and they partied together downtown after the last Stanley Cup victory. "My dad died in February. We came to 2010. Im not going to miss this. I had to be here," he said. The Blackhawks gave the city something to celebrate as the Cubs and White Sox grind through another lost summer. And fans took note. "We love the Blackhawks. This is history and this is a championship, unlike the Cubs," OKane said, taking a shot at a team that hasnt won a World Series since 1908. The franchises fifth Stanley Cup was the culmination of a banner season for the Blackhawks, who set an NHL record when they recorded at least one point in the first 24 games -- half of the lockout-shortened schedule. They finished with the best record in the league. The dramatic Game 6 victory in Boston sparked a raucous party in parts of Chicago. Fans poured out of bars after the thrilling finish and celebrated in the streets in the several neighbourhoods. Sarah Schmidt, 22, who grew up in Chicago and made the pilgrimage to Fridays celebrations from Milwaukee, told her boss she was taking the day off no matter what. She hoped her bartending gig would still be there when the party was over. "I cant miss this," she said. Air Max 97 Clearance . The Toronto Maple Leafs were holding a news conference, so they got curious. It didnt take long for them to find out via social media that coach Randy Carlyle was coming back — with a two-year extension — and assistants Greg Cronin, Scott Gordon and Dave Farrish were being let go. Air Max 97 Uk Cheap .com) - Matt Beleskey has helped give the Anaheim Ducks some scoring depth and hell look to stay hot on Wednesday night when his club hosts the struggling Philadelphia Flyers. http://www.airmax97ukcheap.com/. He looked very comfortable Wednesday night. Konerko had a big three-run double and Gordon Beckham homered for the second straight game, leading the Chicago White Sox to an 8-3 victory over the sliding Chicago Cubs. Cheap Air Max 97 Uk . Now, Sarah Burkes legacy will live on in Canadas Sports Hall of Fame. Burke, who tragically died at age 29 from a training accident in 2012, headlined the 2014 class named for induction Wednesday. Air Max 97 Uk Online .C. -- Jackson Whistle made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Kelowna Rockets blanked the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-0 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action.SAN FRANCISCO - Colin Kaepernick found his quarterback guru to guide him through some adjustments to his game.Kaepernick is headed to the Arizona desert to work with Kurt Warner this off-season.The San Francisco quarterback will begin his training and study with Warner — a 12-year NFL QB with Arizona, St. Louis and the New York Giants — and quarterbacks coaches Dennis Gile and Mike Giovando on Monday in Phoenix. Gile said Wednesday they have developed a program for much of the next 12 weeks until Kaepernick rejoins the 49ers in early April.While Kaepernick will maintain his regular weight training and running routine, this will be different as he has never had a true quarterback coach. They will focus on film study, chalk talk sessions and drills such as 7-on-7, Gile said. NFL wide receivers and some college players preparing for the draft are expected to take part.He just said hes still going to train and do his weight room and running stuff because thats part of his game thats pretty much unstoppable when he does it, but he wants to do something a little different, Gile said. From what hes told us, hes never really had a quarterback coach. We just want to provide Colin with the tools that we have to try to help him out in any certain way to make him more consistent and more efficient.Kaepernick worked under a former NFL quarterback in former coach Jim Harbaugh, who took over as new Michigan coach last week. The 49ers said Harbaugh and the team mutually agreed to part ways with one season left on his $25 million, five-year deal.Thee 49ers are still conducting interviews to find Harbaughs replacement.dddddddddddd They were scheduled for interviews later this week with Arizona Cardinals defensive co-ordinator Todd Bowles and Detroit defensive co-ordinator Teryl Austin.Kaepernick said leading into the final game of the season that he was working to tweak his off-season regimen to bounce back from a disappointing year.The Niners finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time in four years after three straight trips to the NFC championship game and a narrow Super Bowl loss following the 2012 season.In his second full season as a starter, the 27-year-old Kaepernick completed 289 of 478 passes for 3,369 yards and 19 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions and taking a career-high 52 sacks.Harbaugh stuck by Kaepernick through the struggles, which including a four-game losing streak featuring two tough losses to the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and an embarrassing defeat at Oakland.Kaepernick will hardly be receiving a complete overhaul, but those working with him will try to simulate pressure game situations where he has to consider his first, second, third and fourth progressions and really try to put some chaos into that, Gile said.Other star NFL quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning have made strides working with special coaches at the position.The Sacramento Bee first reported Kaepernick would team up with Warner this winter.___Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '