The greatest — or at least most publicly accessible — victory lap in all of sports picked up Tuesday where it left off three years ago, with the Blackhawks trotting the Stanley Cup around the city in celebration of their improbable come-from-behind victory just hours earlier.
And this time the fans were ready.
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Using social media, traditional news sources and the old-fashioned rumor mill, the Blackhawks faithful tracked the storied trophy from O’Hare International Airport to Michigan Avenue, with stops at a suburban restaurant, a South Side bar and the United Center in between.
Within minutes of Lord Stanley’s arrival at each location, fans showed up in droves and joined a citywide party that began with a raucous Wrigleyville display Monday night and won’t stop until Friday’s downtown victory rally.
“People aren’t going to stop celebrating for at least a week,” said Patrick Sullivan, of Bloomingdale, who caught his first glimpse of the Cup at a Near North Side eatery. “There’s just an amazing feeling in the city right now.”
The bleary-eyed Blackhawks arrived at a private O’Hare terminal shortly after 4 a.m., little more than six hours after their thrilling 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. Firetrucks welcomed the plane with cannons that shot arcs of water over the aircraft as it taxied to the hangar.
Veteran center Michal Handzus carried the Stanley Cup off the plane, hoisting it high as a small group of friends and family assembled on the tarmac cheered. Behind an airport fence, about 200 fans waited in hopes of catching a glimpse of the team and trophy.
Just as they did three years ago, the players stopped first at Harry Caray’s in Rosemont to celebrate with their families. In anticipation of the team repeating its 2010 itinerary, hundreds of fans dressed in bright-red Hawks gear had gathered at the Italian steakhouse.
“A lot of guys have been through it before. For me it’s a new experience, something I feel very fortunate to be a part of,” defenseman Johnny Oduya said. “It’s an unbelievable experience.”
In the coming months, each player will assume custody of the 121-year-old chalice for at least 24 hours. They can take it wherever they like and do whatever they want with it, as long as they receive prior approval from the National Hockey League.
But before the Cup jets off to exciting places such as Mimico, Ontario; Stockholm; and Stara Lubovna, Slovakia, the team made sure to reacquaint the trophy with the city that so fully embraced it three years ago.
After about an hour at Harry Caray’s, the team traveled to the South Loop for a private party at The Scout bar. Captain Jonathan Toews, who carried the Cup into the tavern, paused briefly outside to allow fans to snap pictures with their smartphones. Those photos — tweeted within seconds of being captured — became an open invitation for the rest of Blackhawks Nation to come join the festivities.
And, with the sun rising and TV helicopters hovering overhead, they came by the dozens. Even Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who had just recently returned from Israel, showed up at the establishment to congratulate the team.
“I didn’t know beer is a breakfast of champions,” Emanuel later told reporters.
As the team downed beers inside, the crowd outside grew with each passing minute. Plainfield resident Kevin Michel was driving in the neighborhood for his job when a co-worker texted to tell him the Hawks were at the bar. A lifelong fan, he parked a block away and climbed atop the frozen pizza truck he drives, hoping for a glimpse of the Cup.
“Just seeing it would be great, you know?” he said.
The city felt much the same way Tuesday, as chasing the Cup became an all-consuming game. Fans rushed to Lakeview’s Pony Inn, Ann Sather restaurant and even coach Joel Quenneville’s west suburban home based on misinformation regarding the trophy’s whereabouts.
Quenneville took the gathering outside his Hinsdale residence in stride, shaking hands and posing for pictures with people who waited at the end of his driveway.
In keeping with a homage offered after the last championship, fans had also toilet-papered his home after the Hawks hoisted the Cup.
Season ticket holder Jonathan Stramaglia, of Schiller Park, was among those who met Quenneville at his home.
“It was exhilarating,” Stramaglia said. “His shirt was still wet. It smelled like beer and champagne.”
Perhaps spoiled by the daylong pub crawl the Cup took in 2010, many fans grew restless Tuesday afternoon as the trophy remained out of public view for several hours and the players reportedly skipped midday partying in favor of much-needed sleep. After the Hawks posted a picture of Lord Stanley inside the United Center, dozens descended upon the West Side arena and began chanting to see the Cup.
The organization eventually caved to the demands, when President John McDonough took the trophy outside in a gesture of jubilance.
“For the Cup to be 20 feet from you, even behind a window, is really symbolic,” said Dustin Murguia, a teacher who drove from Forest Park.
On Tuesday night, fans gathered outside Market Bar in West Town, cheering and high-fiving players as they strolled in.
“These guys are like our celebrities,” said Jennifer Nowakowski, 27, of River West, after Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson walked by.
Next stop was Rockit Bar in the Near North neighborhood, where throngs awaited the buses that transported the Cup and players around the city. The players unloaded and went straight up to the second floor. “Cup, Cup, Cup, Cup!” the crowd chanted from the street down below, prompting the players to take turns holding the Cup near an open window and spraying the crowd with beer.
Earlier Tuesday, the public enthusiasm seemed to be a calmer continuation of the celebration that overwhelmed Wrigleyville on Monday night, when revelers poured into the streets and police officers tried to fight back the likely overserved crowds. Dancing atop cars and shooting off fireworks, fans ignored barricades that closed Clark Street.
Officers arrived on horseback shortly after midnight and began pushing the crowd south, but their authority was met with resistance as some fans began throwing bottles and beer cans at the horses. Several people were taken away in handcuffs.
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Chicago police said 23 people were arrested, most of them on disorderly conduct and battery charges.
Dozens of store windows were smashed, but authorities said there was no looting. No serious injuries were reported.
With peace restored, the city quickly turned its attention to more important matters.
“To me, this is history,” said security guard Cesar Gonzalez, who came straight from work and stood in the rain and heat for more than three hours in hopes of seeing the Cup. “It’s about being a part of the city I love, showing the pride you have in the city.”
Naomi Nix, Annemarie Mannion, Deanese Williams-Harris and John Byrne contributed.