The sun shone brightly Tuesday afternoon as thousands of fans gathered in downtown Halifax to celebrate another East Coast Memorial Cup win – the second in three years.
At the sound of the noon gun, bagpipers led the Halifax Mooseheads from the Metro Centre to Grand Parade, hoisting the Memorial Cup proudly above their heads.
The crowd responded with a familiar chant of ‘Go Moose Go.’
“I’m a fan, I’m a rink rat, I followed then since day one,” says Mooseheads fan Jane O’Neil.
“They just played so well,” says another fan. “Canada is like, represented by them. I love them, they’re awesome!”
The Halifax Mooseheads were called to the stage one-by-one and each player was greeted with a roar of applause, but none louder than for Cole Harbour native Nathan MacKinnon.
“My favourite player is Nathan MacKinnon,” says Mooseheads fan Alan Currie. “He’s one of the best players there ever was.”
The players enjoyed the celebration just as much as the fans.
“It’s amazing,” says MacKinnon. “I didn’t expect this kind of support. Speaking for all the guys, we’re very thankful that all these fans have supported us all year.”
MacKinnon wasn’t the only one in awe of the event.
“You don’t see that many people in the street all the time,” says head coach Dominique Ducharme. “I want to make sure I let it sink in and really enjoy it.”
Moosehead goalie Zachary Fucale had more than one reason to celebrate today, as he marked his 18th birthday with a serenade of ‘Happy Birthday’ from the crowd.
“Great birthday present so far,” says Fucale. “It’s been one of the best I’ve ever gotten for sure.”
Moosehead forward Stephen MacAulay took the time to thank the fans for their support after he recently lost his mother to cancer.
“If I see them, you know, out in the city or sending tweets, they just told me to keep my head up and that they’re there for me,” says MacAulay. “It definitely didn’t go unnoticed and I appreciate it so much.”
To show their appreciation for their fans, the players and Ducharme signed autographs and posed for pictures for three-and-a-half-hours after the event on Tuesday.
“We’re so proud of them and I think it’s absolutely wonderful,” says fan Joyce O’Rourke.
But perhaps no one was more proud than the players’ parents.
“This is just absolutely incredible,” says Marie Duke, mother of defenceman Brendan Duke.
“He’s worked so hard for so long and the team has done so well and we just think it’s fantastic that they could bring it home to the city,” says Duke’s father Frank.
There have been some complaints that the celebration happened too quickly, that there wasn't enough notice, and that in the middle of the day many people couldn't attend.
But Mayor Mike Savage says they simply did the best they could.
“The team disperses pretty quickly. These are young guys with stuff to do, training to get to, draft combines to get to in the case of Jonathan, Nate and Zach,” says Savage.
Whatever the complaints, those in attendance were just happy for the chance to celebrate with their beloved team.
“Every day, I would get to the rink and I would tell the boys, ‘guys, this is a great day,’” says Fucale. “I’m gonna just say it one last time. Guys, this is a great day! We’re champions!”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell
