Peaceful Revelry at Bruins Parade

For the first time in 39 years the Stanley Cup made its way through the streets of Boston, held aloft by the victorious Bruins riding a fleet of duck boats.

North Station and Beacon Hill were packed hundreds deep with fans from across the state. Saturday’s parade was a slice of Americana and a true cross-section of the area’s diversity.  

Fans took trains from Woburn and Worcester and Lowell, they rode the T from Southie and Charlestown, and carpooled from Cambridge, Lexington and Wellesley. Little kids in makeup, tattooed teenagers and yuppies in pleated khakis high-fived and hugged in the early summer heat.

Mitch Janusz of Lowell showed off his massive beard and Bruins tattoos as he stood shirtless and muscled on the corner, "Vancouver riots, Boston Rallies!" he screamed.

Nearby, tiny Evan Kolodko, age 5, of Woburn jumped up and down with a miniature hockey stick and a newly shorn Mohawk. "Number 17, Lucic! He is my favorite!" he shouted over the din of the crowd and the helicopters circling above.

Behind him, the Grieci family from Acton, complete with yellow Labrador Duke and toddlers in sundresses, quietly enjoyed the parade. "We are just very thankful," they said.

And while all present were fans, this parade meant more for some.

Shawn Bartlet of Londonderry, New Hampshire was jumped last month downtown and spent 3 and a half weeks in Mass General Hospital recovering from the traumatic brain injury he sustained in that fight. He stood watching the procession with his young son, saying, "I’m just a huge fan."

His mother confided later, "The series really meant a lot to him while he was in the hospital."

The carnival atmosphere was palpable and while drinks were omnipresent, there was no obvious violence.

“Yeah, there haven’t been any problems, at least not down here by North Station," said one Boston PD officer.

"The Boston cops have been great! I’m really surprised," said Taunton teenager Harrison McNeal.

As the team rolled by in duck boats fans scrambled to climb up any elevated surface for a better view, hanging from streetlights and cramming onto statues.  

At the intersection of Lomasney Way and Staniford Street, street-cleaning trucks pulled up and let revelers climb their hulking vehicles for a better view. And even here, where arguments could have easily broken out over limited elevated seats, the air of peaceful revelry dominated as men like Eric Libby of Framingham gave up their seats to little girls in pink Bruins shirts.

Fans screamed for their exulted team as the cup was held high and the music of the Dropkick Murphys poured from speakers. Goalie Tim Thomas danced around on the lead vehicle and waved to the multitudes that shouted his name among falling confetti.

And then, soon after they appeared, the Bruins vanished around the corner of Cambridge Street and fans were left in the wake of greatness as the music died down and the last of the tickertape hit the concrete.