ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - After Saturday's 1.5 mile parade — which felt closer to 5 miles with the amount of extra walking by the St. Louis Blues players – everyone gathered under the Arch for the final rally honoring the Stanley Cup Champions. Players, coaches, front office staff, ownership and alumni were recognized, and that's where we were treated to some of the best moments of the entire celebration.
Here are the best quotes from the stage, minus Brett Hull speech which live in a category of it's own and can be heard here.
Tom Stillman, chairman:
"They came together, they refused to give up, they kept their focus, they overcame every obstacle and in the end, your St. Louis Blues came home with the most storied trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup. And the Stanley Cup is most definitley for you, St. Louis."
Doug Armstrong, general manager:
"I'm so effin proud of you boys, great job."
Craig Berube, head coach:
"It's leadership, character and hard work. The road through January, February and most of March, just being on the road that much and winning that many games is incredible. Just goes to show the hard work and character of our players and that's why we're Stanley Cup Champions."
Ryan O'Reilly, forward:
"You wanna see some f****** emotion? We're Stanley Cup Champions baby!"
"You guys have waited a long time, so this is incredible. Thank you for sharing this with us."
Brayden Schenn, forward:
He was asked, what has been the most special moment on their run to the playoffs, until now:
"Winning it is one thing, seeing this is unbelievable. So, let's f****** party."
Jaden Schwartz, forward:
"This is the hockey capital of the world."
Pat Maroon, forward:
"We know how much this means for you. In all the seven years I promised you we were going to bring it here and we finally did it. Thank you for the support, every year it's been unreal ... And most important here I'm really proud to share this moment with my teammates here."
"And hey, let's do this again, right?"
Larry Robinson, coach:
"This one's for Boston." – *raises his middle finger
Alex Pietrangelo, captain:
"I got to walk the parade with the kids, we've got guys back here with kids, I see kids in the crowd, I mean, we all know what this is about. It's about the fans, the family and I tell you what, there's another family behind me and I'm so damn proud to be a part of this."