NHL Bruins fans turn out to cheer champs

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) – Fans clad in black-and-gold turned out in droves Saturday to salute their Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins, who took the NHL trophy on a tour of the city’s streets.

“You guys wanted it. We got it and we want to share it with you today,” said goalie Tim Thomas, the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as he held the Cup aloft. “Let’s have some fun!”

Players and team officials then took to the streets in 18 “duck boats” — tourist transports designed to travel on both land and water.

“We all love each other,” said first-line forward Nathan Horton, sidelined for the championship series with a severe concussion early in game three.

“We all care about each other. We all play for each other. That’s the way it’s been all year and that’s why we won the Cup.”

The celebrations came days after the Bruins defeated the Canucks in game seven in Vancouver.

They became the first team in the series to win on the road, and the triumph sparked rioting by some disappointed fans in Vancouver.

The Bruins claimed their sixth Stanley Cup title, but their first since 1972.

Police said the big crowds were “exemplary”.

Nine people were arrested and “charged with, among other things, public drinking and disorderly conduct,” police said.

Given the thousands that turned out, police commissioner Edward Davis said, “exemplary fan behavior was on full display throughout the day and all along the parade route.”

In a 15-minute ceremony outside the Bruins’ TD Garden arena to start 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, “It’s finally our time. How amazing is this?”

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara told fans: “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Added Thomas: “It’s awesome to be sharing it with everybody. This is the day you really look forward to.”

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110618/ts_alt_afp/ihockeynhlbruinscelebration_20110618235553