It's only a slight coincidence that the NHL is starting to experience a resurgence in the same year that the Chicago Blackhawks win the Cup. After years of suffering under the ownership of Bill Wirtz, the Hawks have climbed back in to the conscience of a hockey-savvy town. I've been to Chicago many times. It is one of my favorite cities in the world, without question.
I was at Grant Park on Nov 4, 2008 (the night Obama won the presidency) with 500,000 others - it was one of the most interesting, surreal and uplifting experiences I've been a part of. When the Chicago White Sox won the World Series pennant, there was another 500,000 people that showed up for that parade (I wasn't there, but grew up a Frank Thomas and Chicago White Sox fan, so was extremely pleased with that win).
For the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup parade? An estimated 2 million people. Wow! Chicago is a town definitely knows how to party. If Edmonton won it, there would be 200,000 people lined up on Jasper Avenue and 10% of the attendees would get stabbed in the neck.* *Disclaimer: I'm an Edmonton Oilers fan and am a proud native Edmontonian so I have the right to say disparaging things