Stanley Cup's high-speed rush to United Center reaches 100 mph
CHICAGO -- The crew bringing the Stanley Cup to the United Center on Monday night amid road closures and flooding was given a police escort for a trip that, according to a source, reached speeds of 100 mph.
The Blackhawks were anointed Stanley Cup champions when the buzzer sounded after a 2-0 win in Game 6over the Tampa Bay Lightning, but one thing was missing in the celebrations that immediately followed: the Stanley Cup itself.
The vaunted trophy arrived fashionably late, delayed by the untimely detours that were a result of severe weather before the game.
The source with knowledge of the situation said the crew escorting the Cup to the facility left its hotel in the outskirts of Chicago at puck drop, but the commute was less than ideal.
Even though the crew eventually got the police escort, it still did not arrive to the rink on time.
"Mother Nature was not a hockey fan tonight," the head keeper of the Cup, Phil Pritchard, told ESPN.com while the Blackhawks were celebrating on the ice.
The presentation of the Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy, the latter of which was given to Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, could not go on as initially planned, though both trophies were eventually awarded after a longer-than-expected wait. The Blackhawks spent the delay celebrating on the ice, while NBC filled the time with interviews.
