BOSTON -- Screaming fans dressed in the black and gold of the Boston Bruins
smiled, waved and stood on trees and bus shelters as they watched the NHL
champions -- and the Stanley Cup, of course -- roll through city streets on a
balmy, breezy day.
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adore gave it right back. Tim Thomas beamed. Zdeno Chara pumped his fists.
Patrice Bergeron signalled to the massive crowd to shout even louder. Then, as
the nearly two-hour "rolling rally" celebration of the Bruins first title in 39
years neared its end early Saturday afternoon, Andrew Ference raised one finger,
then two, then three, orchestrating a familiar chant. "Lets Go Bruins!" the fans
responded. "Lets Go Bruins!" But theres no need for the Bruins to go any
further. Theyve already arrived. The long journey began in Vermont in late
September with two days of training camp and ended in Vancouver with a 4-0
victory Wednesday night in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. In between, the
Bruins started the season with two games in Prague against the Phoenix Coyotes
-- losing then winning on a shutout by Thomas -- and grew into a team determined
enough to win three of its four post-season series in seven games and good
enough to knock off the Canucks, the NHLs best team in the regular season. The
Bruins trip to their sixth championship got a big boost from their fans, who
stuck by them all the way to Saturdays celebration on a sunny day with
temperatures reaching the high 20s. Crowds were so deep on the sidewalks that
many fans might not have been able to see the players. Police announced nine
arrests of people "charged with, among other things, Public Drinking and
Disorderly Conduct." Police commissioner Edward Davis said, "exemplary fan
behaviour was on full display throughout the day and all along the parade
route." In a 15-minute program outside the TD Garden before the rally, Boston
mayor Thomas Menino thanked the Bruins for "a fabulous season." Team president
Cam Neely, one of the greatest forwards in club history but never a champion,
said, "Its finally our time. How amazing is this?" Chara, the captain, then told
the fans, "We couldnt have done it without you," and shared a conversation he
had with Neely. "I promised him when we win a Cup I will hand it to him. So here
we go. Come on, Cam," he said as Neely stepped forward, smiled broadly and took
the trophy. At one point, Bergeron and rookie Brad Marchand, who each scored two
goals in Game 7, did a poor imitation of the rap song, "Black And Yellow."
Playoff MVP Thomas spoke briefly to the crowd, holding the Cup aloft the whole
time. "You guys wanted it. We got it and we want to share it with you today,"
said the goalie, one of the few Bruins still sporting a playoff beard. "Lets
have some fun." Then players -- wearing white hats and black T-shirts
proclaiming them Stanley Cup champions -- and team officials boarded 18
colourful duck boats, tourist vehicles designed to travel on land and water.
This day, they carried passengers who excelled on ice. "We all love each other,"
said first-line forward Nathan Horton, sidelined for the series with a severe
concussion early in Game 3. "We all care about each other. We all play for each
other. Thats the way its been all year and thats why we won the Cup." Playmaking
centre Marc Savard, limited to 25 games this season by the effects of a
career-threatening concussion, rode in the same duck boat as Horton. The
possibility of playing again after missing the playoffs "is really the furthest
thing from my mind right now," Savard said. "I just want to enjoy it here and
let the boys take the spotlight here because they earned it." About 20 minutes
into the trip to Copley Square, a route of about three miles from the arena
where the Bruins were 3-0 against the Canucks in the finals, Thomas said, "Its
awesome to be sharing it with everybody. This is the day you really look forward
to." While Boston police no longer provide estimates, the size of the crowd
appeared to be larger than all but the one that turned out to celebrate the Red
Sox first championship in 86 years in 2004.
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Swedish Elite League (Elitserien), has been touted for the last two years as a
potential lottery pick -- and possibly even the top overall pick) in 2011. Thus
far, Larsson has not disappointed, playing solid hockey for the third- place
club.
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Some 2,586 AIDS cases were reported on the mainland in April, of which 698 were
fatal, a report posted on the MOH website said. AIDS is categorized as a class B
infectious disease by the MOH. In April, 337,311 cases of class B infectious
disease were reported on the mainland.
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Jersey . Thats because Max was the top dog name in New York in
2005, according to the city Health Department. The name Max was engraved on
1,228 dog licenses of the 101,274 issued last year, the department said.
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splinter group of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), led by
Bai Xuoqian, who is former deputy to the MNDAA chief Phone Kyar Shin, has in
fact taken control of the situation with Bai becoming the top leader of the
army, supported by the government forces, thus replacing the former chief Phone,
the sources said. PHILADELPHIA (AP) -The U.S. is about to let a bunch of former
Bullies become citizens. Four members of the Philadelphia Flyers championship
Broad Street Bullies teams of the 1970s are close to getting their citizenship.
Canadians Bill Clement, Orest Kindrachuk, Bob Kelly and Dave Schultz are going
through the necessary steps that will make them American citizens by the end of
the year.
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are set to be sworn in Sept. 17. Schultz, who holds the NHL record for most
penalty minutes in a season, was fingerprinted this week as part of the process.
Schultz laughs when he says he hopes his days as Flyers enforcer wont be held
against him during the background check. The former teammates were encouraged to
become citizens by U.S. Rep. Bob Brady. ' ' '
