30,000 show up for Flames rally
Canadian Press
6/9/2004
CALGARY (CP) - The Calgary Flames may not have the Stanley Cup, but there's no question they're heroes to their hometown fans.
More than 30,000 Calgarians showed up Wednesday wearing flaming Cs on their hearts to honour the battered group of overachievers for an improbable National Hockey League playoff run that set the city and the country on fire.
People began lining up as early as 6:30 a.m. to get prime viewing spots at a noon-hour rally that spilled out of Olympic Plaza and onto the grounds around City Hall. They stood shoulder to shoulder wearing red Flames jerseys, waving team flags and lofting signs reading Thanks for the Great Ride and Always Our Champions. Some cheered from the rooftops and many hoisted makeshift versions of the Stanley Cup.
None seemed to really mind that the team had lost hockey's holy grail in the seventh game of the final Monday to the Tampa Bay Lightning. A win would have been only the second in franchise history
This team has totally won the hearts of this city,'' said Cameron Shank, a 19-year-old fan wrapped in a Flames flag. ``Some of these players no one knew or had heard of before this, and every last one of them has become a hero.''
The Flames players, each wearing the City of Calgary's trademark Stetson, were introduced one by one to roars of approval. The loudest came for playoff superstars captain Jarome Iginla and goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.
``This is truly unbelievable,'' a grinning Iginla told the crowd as several of his teammates looked on with tears in their eyes. ``You guys helped to make this year and this run the time of our lives.''
``If there's any question about us being satisfied - not a chance. This is only making us hungrier.''
The notoriously shy Kiprusoff looked briefly at the crowd, smiled and then disappeared behind his teammates - much as he has tried to do throughout the season.
Much of the credit for crafting the Flames storybook season has gone to coach Daryl Sutter, who demanded and got a superhuman work ethic from his players as they knocked off division leaders three times to advance to the final.
As the usually stone-faced coach was introduced, the square erupted in chants of ``Sutter, Sutter, Sutter!''
Kimberly Legros brought her son Jonathan at 9 a.m. to make sure they'd get a front-row view of the heroes.
``I just think it's been a magical ride,'' she said. ``It's great for Calgary. Not winning doesn't matter. What they did for this city is great.''
Evangeline Ross, 17, said she and her 14-year-old sister, Jacqueline, never lost faith even in the final seconds of Game 7 and urged the Flames to be proud of their accomplishment.
``I want to say we understand why you're disappointed,'' she said. ``You have nothing to be disappointed about. We really needed this, and you came through for us.''
Iginla's linemate Craig Conroy, who's been known as the chattiest of the Flames, was overwhelmed by the spectacle.
``I'm almost at a loss for words - well, maybe not,'' he told the roaring crowd.
``We have goals and we've got dreams. After this little taste, we plan on getting back to this exact spot but with a different outcome.
``I've seen a lot of sports towns and this is the best. Hats off to you.''
The celebration ended with a shower of red and white streamers and fireworks as the players headed to the Saddledome to clear out their lockers.
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