DETROIT, Mich. -- A season of promise, hewn from a mountain of challenge and expectation, culminated with thousands of Red Wings fans wildly cheering their sports heroes in the city lovingly called "Hockeytown."

They also gladly welcomed the revered Lord Stanley's Cup back home.

Red-and-white-clad Wing nuts waited hours for the start of a slow-rolling, mile-long victory parade along Woodward Avenue to the Detroit riverfront.

Enduring temperatures reaching as high as 92 degrees, an unforgiving sun and sweltering humidity, 1.4 million people stayed put for the 2 1/2-hour-long procession and 45-minute rally in a jam-packed Hart Plaza.

Standing and sitting as thick as four to six people deep in some places, fans yelled and screamed when former Red Wings great Steve Yzerman, and current stars forward Dan Cleary, goalie Chris Osgood and captain Nicklas Lidstrom were driven by.

An overpowering crescendo of gratitude later greeted them at the rally's start.

Most of the Red Wings players who spoke during the Stanley Cup Victory rally along the Detroit River Friday were fairly reserved.

Most thanked the fans or showed off the Cup. Jiri Hudler was a bit more animated.

"There is only one Hockeytown in the USA – Detroit City," said a thrilled Hudler before he started the "Let's Go Red Wings" chant during the rally. He then raced over toward fellow Wings forward Kris Draper and jumped into his arms.

Red Wings right wing Dan Cleary told his fans, "Me personally, this is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."

These Red Wings are following in the footsteps of the 2002 team and the 2004 Pistons, who celebrated their triumphs with similar downtown processions. The Red Wings clinched the Cup on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

Brian Rafalski was a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils before joining his hometown Red Wings and winning the NHL title two days ago.

While all three championships were special, the victory celebrations don't compare, the defenseman from Dearborn said.

Rafalski was asked if Friday's parade was like the 2000 and 2003 Cup celebrations in New Jersey that were held on the sprawling blacktop outside the team's former arena.

"It's way better than a parking lot," he joked.

Henrik Zetterberg hoisted the Conn Smythe Trophy he won as playoff MVP above his head as he rode down the parade route. He said he was happy to share the Cup win with fans.

"Time of my life right now," Zetterberg said. "This is unbelievable."

Goalie Chris Osgood said he hadn't been that emotional about the Cup win until the parade.

"It brings a tear to my eye right now. I've had to wipe away a few tears," Osgood said. "This is why I play in Detroit."

"It never gets old. One thing with us is the fans and hockey in this town are intertwined. We share this with them." Said forward Darren McCarty.

The last vehicle in the parade carried captain Nicklas Lidstrom, who proudly held the Cup aloft to the delight of the crowd.

Many of the parade-goers wore Wings jerseys and other red-and-white gear. Some wore plush octopi on their heads, a nod to the team's mascot.

One woman even brought a real -- albeit dead -- octopus with her and swung it over her head, a la Joe Louis Arena building manager Al Sobotka.

Blake Gordon had planned on attending his final day of the fourth grade in Oakland County's Commerce Township, but was surprised when his mother allowed him and his brothers to attend the Red Wings celebration.

"This is excellent, exciting and wonderful to see the Red Wings bring the Cup to our town," the 10-year-old said.

For his mother, Corinne Gordon, the parade was bridge-building.

"There's been so much doom and gloom and separation between the city and suburbs because of what the mayor has done," said Gordon, 37. "This brings people together."

The cheering crowd changed their tune from excitement to discontent when Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick took the stage at the rally. While the crowd booed Kilpatrick, the Wings applauded.

Red Wings Fans Support Team, Boo Detroit Mayor

However, Kilpatrick maintained his enthusiasm. He said, "Because we're all here together and you're all having a good time, the beer is on me. God bless you, go Red Wings."

The mayor's office released a statement about the crowds reaction. "The mayor's been elected to office twice by the residents of Detroit, and based on the crowd's reaction, I guess if he was running for mayor of Joe Louis Arena he wouldn't win," said Deputy Press Secretary James Canning.

Kilpatrick and his former top aide, Christine Beatty, face criminal charges, including perjury, stemming from testimony during a whistle-blowers' trial in which the pair denied having a romantic relationship. Kilpatrick and Beatty also are accused of lying under oath about their roles in the firing of a top police official.

Kilpatrick refused to discuss the text-messaging scandal on Friday, but did say the success of the Red Wings has helped to pull not just Detroit, but the region together. He said sports fans who came downtown for the parade and rally can see what's been done to help revitalize Detroit.

"This is so much different from 2002," Kilpatrick said. "You're walking through a brand new Woodward. Detroiters should be absolutely proud of what we've been able to pull together and to do together."

The Wings' six-game series win over the Penguins gave area residents the chance to forget, at least for a short time, the economic doldrums and the mayoral saga that have dominated the news for months.

"This city is going to come back, and we're all going to come back and be proud of this city one day," Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch told the crowd.

The good times should keep rolling for the storied franchise for years to come.

The team set a record with 30 wins in the first half of the season, matching Montreal's record with 100 points for the eighth straight year, and extended the longest active streak in sports with its 17th straight postseason appearance.

Detroit's key players are under contract for at least next season, leaving only a handful of decisions to make in the offseason.

The first European born and trained captain Nick Lidstrom summed up the Wing's mindset. "You are a hardworking city and a hardworking state and we try to do the same for you. Thank you."

Local4's Mark Santia Recaps The Rally