Calgary — About 400 cheering fans greeted the weary Calgary Flames as their plane touched down in the pre-dawn darkness Tuesday, just hours after losing 2-1 in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final.
Many of the fans huddled in the cold morning air for hours, decked out in jerseys, red wigs and green hard hats. And they refused to let Monday night's loss dampen their enthusiasm.
"I just love the spirit of the Flames," said Amy Shoup. "It has brought a lot of happiness to our city and I'm really proud of them, even though they didn't win."
Carrying a sign that read "Thanks for the memories," Shoup and her friends stayed up all night, waiting for the Flames' charter flight to arrive.
The strain of the two-month-long playoff drive — and Monday night's close loss to end it all — was evident on the players as they drove passed their fans.
Enforcer Krzysztof Oliwa couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face.
Rookie defenceman Mike Commodore wandered into the crowd and signed autographs for more than half an hour, refusing offers by the police to escort him to his car.
"We had a great run this year. We needed one more win and it was tough for all of us —very, very emotional," said Commodore.
"But this makes it a lot easier to come home to — all these people."
Jeremy Butler said after seven years of not even making the playoffs, the Flames' unexpected success this year has had a huge impact on Calgary.
"These guys mean the world to this city," said Butler.
"We haven't seen this in 15 years," he said, adding "they have nothing to be ashamed of, they gave it their all."
The Flames were defeated Monday night by the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending Canada's dream of bringing home the Stanley Cup after an 11-year absence.
About 40,000 fans spilled out along Calgary's 17th Avenue, a strip of restaurants and bars just west of the Saddledome that became the epicentre of celebrations through the playoffs and became known as the Red Mile.
Although the crowd remained mainly in control, one 20-year-old man was stabbed twice in the chest shortly after midnight.
Calgary EMS said the man was listed in critical condition and said the incident was under investigation by police.
Meanwhile, the City of Calgary announced plans to hold an "appreciation rally" for the team at lunchtime on Wednesday.
It will be the last hurrah for the Cinderella club that finished the regular season in sixth place in the Western Division but went on to defeat three division champs — the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks — en route to the final.
The last Canadian team in the finals was the Vancouver Canucks in 1994. The last winner was the Montreal Canadiens a year before that.
Few had expected the Flames to get as far as they did. They had missed the playoffs for seven years before climbing into the playoffs this season as one of the lower-ranked teams.
Calgary has been to the Stanley Cup three times, losing previously in 1986 before winning it all in 1989.
