Hockeytown Loves a Parade

For the third time in six years, Red Wings fans gathered along Woodward Avenue and in Hart Plaza to pay tribute to their team’s Stanley Cup Championship.

Fans gathered along the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup parade route as early as Sunday evening, getting prime seats for the celebration, which began at 11:30 Monday morning.

After rain threatened the parade early Monday morning, the weather cleared up and the sky remained clear until the celebration was over. It was the first time of the three recent championship celebrations that rain was a factor, in 1997 and 1998 their wasn’t a drop from the sky.

Perhaps the loudest cheers of the day were reserved for goaltender Dominik Hasek, who might retire in the next several days. “One more year, one more year!” fans chanted all along the parade route.

Retiring coach Scotty Bowman received the same chant, as did defenseman Chris Chelios. “One more year?” Chelios replied, “I’m gonna play three more!”

With the celebrations and the season now officially over, with all the possibilities for the summer, now one question stand out above all others:

Can we do this again next year?