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 Good day for a parade Stars' Stanley Cup bandwagon rolls through Dallas
Posted: Monday June 21, 1999 10:40 PM
DALLAS (AP) -- With a tug of his pant legs, Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks showed off the perfect symbol of a Texas team winning the Stanley Cup: black boots with the shiny silver trophy emblazoned on each shin. Forward Dave Reid added to the image by wearing a black cowboy hat throughout a downtown parade on Monday and a Reunion Arena pep rally in honor of the NHL champions. More than 75,000 people lined the streets for the parade. They saw the players ride by on four floats, the final one carrying the Cup. "For them to see a team other than the Cowboys win something is fun," forward Guy Carbonneau said. Truth is, Dallas fans have loved the Stars ever since they moved from Minnesota in 1993. "You've been here with us for six years," captain Derian Hatcher, one of three remaining Minnesota North Stars, told the Reunion Arena crowd. "Now we have [the Cup] here and it looks good here. Hopefully, we can build a nice little house for it." The Stars won the first title in their 32-year history and the first for a team in the Sun Belt early Sunday with a 2-1 triple-overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6. Although a controversy is still stewing over the Cup-winning goal scored by Brett Hull while his left foot was in the goalie's crease, there were no references to it Monday. After a 45-minute parade from City Hall to Reunion Arena, the players were introduced, each walking through a giant star-shaped metal structure. The last player out was Hatcher, who ushered in the Cup beneath a shower of fireworks and a burning, revolving star. He placed the trophy on a 5-foot pedestal in the center of the stage. "As long as we've got one of these, why not go for two?" coach Ken Hitchcock told the crowd. "Aw, hell, let's go for three!" Each player got a turn hoisting the Cup and most of them kissed the trophy, Mike Modano doing so several times. Goaltender Ed Belfour, who was serenaded by cheers of "Ed-die! Ed-die!" throughout the hour-long show, savored the Cup the longest. He circled the stage while Hicks, team president Jim Lites and general manager Bob Gainey led a standing ovation. Fans goaded the usually-quiet Belfour into speaking and, with a voice hoarse from 36 hours of celebrating, he thanked the crowd for their support. "This has been an unbelievable year," said Belfour, who inspired one fan to write 'In Eddie We Trust' on the back of a car. 'This is a great moment." The clinching game in Buffalo ended around 12:30 a.m. Sunday -- after many fans were asleep and too late to make some editions of the local newspapers. Only about 200 fans made it to the airport to greet the plane at 6:45 a.m. Sunday. Also taking part in the celebration were the Reunion Arena Zamboni and the heavy metal band Pantera. Band members are fans of the team and friends with several players. The group pounded out a song featuring only the words "Dallas! Stars!" A full house awaited the team at Reunion Arena, where two 1999 Stanley Cup champion banners hung from the rafters for the first time. It was the 50th straight time the team packed the 17,001-seat facility, although with seats on the ice the total attendance was closer to 20,000. B.J. Thomas, the Grammy-winning singer best known for "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," opened the pep rally by singing the national anthem. The Stars were 6-0 this season when he sang, including a victory in Game 5 of the finals. Mayor Ron Kirk read a letter from Gov. George W. Bush, then Lites and Hicks addressed the crowd.
"We have never, ever for a minute regretted coming here," said Lites,
who joined the organization following the move from Minneapolis. "It's been
a great, great, great experience."
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