Operation: (Stanley) Cup Grab, Pride Edition

I had another brush with the Stanley Cup... along with 450,000 other people. But I was really close this time, I swear. Recently-traded Brent Sopel rode with the Cup on float #17, very early in a parade with 250 floats. I can't imagine how awkward it was for him to wear a Hawks jersey, among Hawks fans, while a member of the Atlanta Thrashers. (What a violent name.) He looked, well, sad. Wistful? Maybe he was just spent by that time.

Arriving an hour or so after the parade's start, I decided it was wise to place myself at the very end of the parade route. I was on the corner of Diversey and Sheridan, just northwest of Lincoln Park, where the float-riders disembark. I was tempted to run after the Cup into the park and get a picture with it. I mean, who thinks to follow a parade float to the end? I probably wouldn't have had much competition to molest it.

But I didn't want to miss the rest of the parade. Plus, my sandal broke. Okay, I'm completely lame.

Rather than placing the Cup on a separate Blackhawks float, it rode with the Gay Hockey Association (CGHA). It's sooooo cool that we were the first to put the Stanley Cup on a Pride Parade float... but I'm sure the San Jose Sharks would have done the same.