AUSTIN — Mayor Rahm Emanuel had nothing but praise for Chicago Police dealing with Stanley Cup revelers — and assigned an assist to most Blackhawks fans.
"I think they did a very, very good job," Emanuel said at a news conference on the West Side Tuesday. "You have some incidents. The police responded to those individual incidents. But overall, when you look throughout the city and you look at the big picture, the police did a good job.
"The fans clearly enjoyed the game, and they had a chance to celebrate," he added. "That said, some individuals crossed the line from celebration into something else, and the police responded immediately and quickly."
Chicago Police reported 23 arrests citywide in Cup celebrations, which left windows smashed along Clark Street and shut down intersections in Wicker Park. Some of the revelers could be seen throwing beer bottles as police as officers on mounted units shepherded the Wrigleyville revelers south on Clark Street.
For the most part, the mayor praised both police and celebrants, and said he joined in the celebration himself when he met up with the Hawks at the South Loop club Scout Tuesday morning. Emanuel said he found coach Joel Quenneville "still vertical," adding, "I did not know that beer is a breakfast of champions."
Emanuel praised the Hawks' team approach and said there was much for Chicagoans — and Downstate politicians — to learn from. "It's been a great season, from the record-breaking start ... to the final 17 seconds that will now always go down in history as the miracle on ice," Emanuel said.
The "Miracle on Ice" has previously been used to describe the 1980 U.S. hockey team's Gold Medal victory in the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, N.Y.
The city is still organizing a Friday morning parade and rally commemorating the Hawks' second Stanley Cup victory in four seasons.
"Everybody can have Friday as a Ferris Bueller day off," Emanuel declared, making reference to the popular 1986 movie set in Chicago. He added that Chicago is not declaring a ban on backpacks for the event to match one in Miami for its celebration of the National Basketball Association champion Heat.
"Miami did that," Emanuel said. "That's up to Miami."
