[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 87 (Thursday, June 10, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4857-S4859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 549--CONGRATULATING THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ON WINNING
THE 2010 STANLEY CUP
Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Burris) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 549
Whereas, on June 9, 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks hockey
team won the Stanley Cup;
Whereas the 2010 Stanley Cup win is the first Stanley Cup
win for the Blackhawks since 1961, when John F. Kennedy was
president and the Peace Corps was first established;
Whereas the Blackhawks joined the National Hockey League in
1926 and have a rich history in the League;
Whereas the Blackhawks were 1 of the original 6 teams in
the National Hockey League;
Whereas, during a very difficult period for the National
Hockey League, the Blackhawks remained a strong and
competitive team, winning the Stanley Cup in 1934, 1938, and
1961;
Whereas the Stanley Cup championship appearance in 2010 is
the first for the Blackhawks since 1992;
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Whereas the Blackhawks posted a regular season record of
52-22-8, and the team dominated opponents during the
playoffs, with 12 wins and only 4 losses, including a sweep
of the number 1-seeded San Jose Sharks to win the Western
Conference championship and advance to the Stanley Cup
finals;
Whereas General Manager Stan Bowman, Head Coach Joel
Quenneville, President John F. McDonough, and owner Rocky
Wirtz have put together and led a great organization;
Whereas several Blackhawks players competed in the Olympic
games and faithfully returned to the Blackhawks to help
secure a championship, including--
(1) Patrick Kane, who played for the United States;
(2) Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook, and Duncan Keith, who
played for Canada; and
(3) Tomas Kopecky and Marian Hossa, who played for
Slovakia;
Whereas all 34 active players, whose shared goal was to end
the 49-year championship drought, collectively contributed to
a victorious season, including Kyle Beach, Bryan Bickell,
Dave Bolland, Nick Boynton, Troy Brouwer, Adam Burish, Dustin
Byfuglien, Brian Campbell, Brian Connelly, Corey Crawford,
Jassen Cullimore, Jake Dowell, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser,
Jordan Hendry, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Marian Hossa, Cristobal
Huet, Kim Johnsson, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Tomas
Kopecky, Andrew Ladd, Shawn Lalonde, John Madden, Antti
Niemi, Danny Richmond, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp, Jack
Skille, Brent Sopel, Jonathan Toews, Hannu Toivonen, and Kris
Versteeg;
Whereas the 2010 Blackhawks players follow in the giant
footsteps of the great players in Blackhawk history who have
had their numbers retired, including Glenn Hall (#1), Keith
Magnuson (#3), Pierre Pilote (#3), Bobby Hull (#9), Denis
Savard (#18), Stan Mikita (#21), and Tony Esposito (#35);
Whereas the city of Chicago welcomes the first championship
in the city in 5 years with open arms;
Whereas a new generation of young fans in Chicago and
around the State of Illinois are discovering the joy of
championship hockey; and
Whereas the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, San
Jose Sharks, and the Philadelphia Flyers proved to be worthy
and honorable adversaries and also deserve recognition: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) congratulates the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the
2010 Stanley Cup;
(2) commends the fans, players, and management of the
Philadelphia Flyers for allowing the Chicago Blackhawks and
the many supporters of the Chicago Blackhawks to celebrate
the first Stanley Cup win for the team in 49 years at the
Wachovia Center, the arena of the Philadelphia Flyers; and
(3) respectfully directs the Enrolling Clerk of the Senate
to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
(A) the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks hockey organization; and
(B) the Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Chicago has its cold days, and icy
sidewalks in the winter. But this year's winter proved to be the right
opportunity for the perfect conditions for Illinois' most recently
acclaimed sons and daughters, the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, which
won the Stanley Cup last night in Philadelphia.
The city of Chicago and State of Illinois have some of the best
sports fans in America, particularly when it comes to hockey. Last
night the fans received their reward as they watched Towes, the
youngest captain in the National Hockey League at age 22, hoist the
Stanley Cup over his head as the team ended a 49-year drought and again
became the National Hockey League champions; 49 years, and now
champions again.
It gives us Cubs fans hope. The fight song of the team begins, ``Here
come the hawks, the mighty Blackhawks.'' The team lived up to that song
last night as they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers and in a hard-
fought game in overtime in the sixth game of the series. An amazing end
to a great season. Just over 4 minutes and 6 seconds into the overtime,
2010 Olympian Patrick Kane scored with an amazing shot you have to see
to believe. His efforts were matched by goals from teammates Dustin
Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Ladd, and 21 saves by the fabulous
goal tender Antti Niemi.
The last time the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup was 1961. John
Kennedy was President. They also won that cup in six games with the
assistance of hockey legends Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Murray
Balfour. Who can forget those legendary players?
This is the fourth Stanley Cup win for a team with a rich hockey
history that began in 1926. Today we celebrate the players who will be
tomorrow's legends. This achievement was not achieved without the hard
work and determination on the part of the team, the front office, and
those incredible players.
I congratulate their coach, Joel Quenneville, on his unbelievable 2-
year run in leading the team to victory; also to team president John
McDonough who brought new life to the Chicago Blackhawks, and the city
of Chicago, and owner Rocky Wirtz, maybe the only major sports owner in
America who is cheered wildly whenever his name is mentioned at a game.
He assembled a strong office team that developed the Blackhawks into
champions. This victory was the result of the exceptional gamesmanship
of all of the players and all of the work from the staff and the
assistance and encouragement from owners and fans.
I congratulate all of them for this remarkable achievement. I am
proud to have the Blackhawks in my State of Illinois. Illinois sports
fans have developed patience when it comes to their teams, and truly
great things can come to those who wait.
With two Illinois teams earning national championships in 5 years--
that is the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Blackhawks--our fans can
celebrate the recent triumphs and hope for many years to come.
Now I have a resolution that I have sent to the desk. It is working
its way through the Senate, and we are hopeful that before the end of
this session, with the bipartisan cooperation of cheering for these new
Stanley Cup champions, we will be able to enact this resolution and
send it off so tomorrow's victory parade and rally will be complete. I
know they are waiting anxiously for the receipt of the Senate
resolution. So I hope we can get this done this evening.
Mr. BURRIS. Last night, and well into this morning, the sounds of
celebration rang through the streets of Chicago.
Throughout the city, a proud anthem was sung, an anthem which begins:
Here come the Hawks--the mighty Blackhawks.
Many consider the Stanley Cup to be the most difficult trophy to win
in all of professional sports.
But last night, thanks to an extraordinary Blackhawks team, the
historic Stanley Cup has returned to Chicago for the first time in
nearly half a century.
This incredible season caps an impressive renaissance for one of the
National Hockey League's oldest and most storied franchises.
When Rocky Wirtz took the helm of this organization following the
loss of his father, longtime Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz, he moved
aggressively to restore his team to excellence.
He reached out to the Chicago community, which comprises some of the
greatest sports fans in the world.
He brought fresh talent to the team's roster and coaching staff, and
partnered with Chicago institutions like WGN-TV to bring hockey to a
wider audience.
As a result, he was able to catch lightning in a bottle, and set his
team on the path to a truly historic season.
From the very beginning of this year, every Hawks fan could tell that
this team showed some real promise.
Time and again, they battled adversity and overcame it.
Time and again they were tested, but in each successive game, they
laced up their skates and took to the ice with growing confidence and a
fiery will to win.
Finally, after a dominant regular season and an outstanding showing
against playoff opponents, only the Philadelphia Flyers stood between
them and their first national title in 49 years.
There is no question that both of these teams deserved to be in
contention for the Stanley Cup.
There is little doubt that these fine athletes, from Philadelphia and
Chicago, are among the very best in the sport of hockey.
So it was no surprise that this year's Stanley Cup Finals proved to
be an exciting and hard-fought series of games.
I congratulate the Flyers and their fans on an outstanding season,
and I applaud their sportsmanship throughout the year. They played with
grit and determination, right up to the very last moment.
But in the end, there can be only one champion.
And last night, in a thrilling overtime performance that brought the
city of Philadelphia to a standstill and the City of Chicago to its
feet, the
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Blackhawks indisputably won the Stanley Cup.
That is why I am proud to join my good friend Senator Durbin to
introduce a Senate Resolution in honor of this team.
And I ask my colleagues to join with us in celebrating this
remarkable achievement.
I congratulate the owners, the entire coaching staff, and every
member of the Blackhawks organization.
And I applaud each and every athlete who took part in this incredible
victory.
Their names are etched forever into Chicago sports history, just as
they will soon be etched into the Stanley Cup Trophy itself.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the people of Chicago, and
Blackhawks fans all over the country, who have kept the faith for 49
years, never doubting that greatness would one day return to their
hockey team.
I got married in 1961. That is the last time they won the Stanley
cup.
Their day has finally come, and this championship belongs to them.
I am proud to join them in celebration, and I am eager to see the
Stanley Cup on display back home in Chicago, right where it belongs.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. BROWN of Massachusetts. I certainly want to offer my
congratulations to the city of Chicago. Being from Massachusetts,
having the World Champion Red Sox, Celtics, New England Patriots,
Bruins, New England Revolution, I can certainly appreciate the victory
that was brought to the city of Chicago. Certainly when the President
has them to the White House, I am hoping he will offer the same
courtesy to the NCAA Champion Boston College mens' hockey team as well.
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