It rained on the BluesB次元官网网址� parade, but nobody seemed to mind.

Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of downtown St. Louis and braved the rain on Saturday to cheer on the Stanley Cup champs, who concluded the festivities with a packed rally beneath the Gateway Arch that began just as the sun popped out.

The Blues ended one of sportsB次元官网网址� longest championship droughts on Wednesday by beating the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the first title for a franchise that joined the NHL 52 years ago.

The long-awaited championship stirred strong emotions in St. Louis, a city still smarting from the departure of the NFLB次元官网网址檚 Rams in 2016. The loss of the football team seemed to strengthen the fansB次元官网网址� bonds to the Blues and their beloved baseball team, the Cardinals.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 so happy for the city and the fans here,B次元官网网址� coach Craig Berube said. B次元官网网址淭hey deserve it. But more than anything IB次元官网网址檓 so happy for our players, because of how hard theyB次元官网网址檝e played, the character and leadership coming through, winning that cup.B次元官网网址�

Ryan Korte, a 56-year-old letter carrier from the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Illinois, said he wasnB次元官网网址檛 sure heB次元官网网址檇 ever get to see the Blues win the cup.

B次元官网网址淚 was starting to wonder,B次元官网网址� Korte said as he waved a towel while standing on a ledge, straining to see the parade. B次元官网网址淎 lot of disappointments. TheyB次元官网网址檝e had some good teams and they always let us down.B次元官网网址�

Not this time.

B次元官网网址淭his is bigger than the World Series,B次元官网网址� Korte said.

READ MORE:

That may sound strange in St. Louis, which has long been considered a baseball haven thanks to the CardinalsB次元官网网址� 11 World Series titles. It sure looked like a hockey town on Saturday, though, as fans shouted B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 Go Blues!B次元官网网址� and danced to B次元官网网址淕loria,B次元官网网址� the 1982 Laura Branigan hit that became the BluesB次元官网网址� unofficial victory song.

Forward Ryan OB次元官网网址橰eilly, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of this yearB次元官网网址檚 playoffs, carried the Stanley Cup to fans lining Market Street to let them touch it.

B次元官网网址淭he Blues have an amazing fan base,B次元官网网址� said Michael DeHeer, 52, of St. Louis. B次元官网网址淭his place is ready to explode.B次元官网网址�

It has been quite a journey since the Blues joined the NHL in 1967 as one of six expansion teams that year that doubled the size of the league. The original six teams were kept in one division, the six new teams in another, ensuring that an expansion team would play for the Stanley Cup.

The Blues loaded their roster with aging veterans and it paid off: They played for the Stanley Cup in each of their first three seasons. They didnB次元官网网址檛 win a game, though, going a combined 0-12 in those three series.

What followed was a 49-year stretch in which the Blues didnB次元官网网址檛 make the finals B次元官网网址� a drought made even more remarkable because the team only missed the playoffs nine times during that span.

This yearB次元官网网址檚 season didnB次元官网网址檛 start out promising, as a sluggish start got coach Mike Yeo fired in November.

Craig Berube took over as interim coach B次元官网网址� a title he still holds, though the interim tag is expected to be lifted soon. Improvement didnB次元官网网址檛 come immediately B次元官网网址� the Blues were dead last in the standings on Jan. 3, the middle of the season. Days later, an unheralded rookie goaltender named Jordan Binnington was called up. He won his first game in a shutout.

Soon, with Binnington taking over as the lead goalie, the Blues went on a franchise-record 11-game winning streak and stayed hot through their playoff run.

Binnington, known for his calm demeanour, finally let loose Saturday.

B次元官网网址淵ou want to see some (expletive) emotion?B次元官网网址� he asked the rally crowd. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e Stanley Cup champions, baby!B次元官网网址�

The Blues joined a list of other sports franchises to recently end long championship droughts. The Chicago CubsB次元官网网址� win in the 2016 World Series ended a 108-year run of futility. The Philadelphia Eagles won the 2018 Super Bowl, their first championship in 58 years. Last yearB次元官网网址檚 Stanley Cup winners, the Washington Capitals, won for the first time since joining the NHL in 1974.

Jim Salter, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .